


Of Monsters

by WritingWitch_97



Category: Oban Star-Racers
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Other, REUNION!!!!!, War, graphic description of violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2018-11-09 00:32:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 35
Words: 95,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11093172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingWitch_97/pseuds/WritingWitch_97
Summary: Set 5 years after the great race.Eva recieves a mysterious signal from an old friend.





	1. Prologue

Friday, March 21nd, 2087, 5:33AM.

'Friday,' she thought, laying her phone down on the nightstand again before groggily pushing away her blanket.  
She half-expected the floor to be cold against her feet when she shifted over to sit on the edge of her bed, still, after so many years. Some days it was easier to remember that her life was not simple rooms without such luxury as underfloor-heating anymore. She had a family now. A small one, but she would not trade it for the world. Getting up a little earlier was the only real con about it.

Little cracking sounds here and there cut through the silence as she stretched a bit.  
Soon, she picket up another sound, though. At least it was familiar, very familiar in fact.  
The small furry paws were almost soundless on the warm wooden floor as the little creature approached, it was black all over, the pattern only breaking as it opened its mouth to let out a tired 'meow'.

''Hey, Spirit.''  
Eva got off her bed to lift the litte cat off the floor, holding it above herself for a second before cradling it in her arms, stroking over its fur lightly, gently burying her face in it as well.  
As always, the animal oblieged happily, purring in response.  
''Just a second.'' Eva continued, walking over to her big dresser, simply laying her pet down on an open drawer. She knew her dad hated it when she got cat-hair all over her freshly washed clothes, but she didnt mind it. It was the sock-drawer anyway, so she didnt even think he would notice.

Her assortment of clothes was definatey bigger than before, yet she simply took whatever was laying on top today, throwing it over to the chair on her desk before putting on some music. Not loud enough to wake herself up completely, but enough to make her shift into her clothing a little more enthousiastically. A little concealer to cover up the slighty dark circles under her eyes, and she considered herself ready for the day. It was the last day before the weekend anyway, so she didnt bother with anything fancy.

''Come on, girl.'' she prompted the cat, which immediately leaped off of the drawer to follow.  
The kitchen was still empty this early in the morning, the view clouded over from frostflowers on the window and mist in the darkness just behind it.  
She fed the cat before getting something for helself. She wondered if brand-name cereal would stop tasting so phenomenally good eventually.  
She grabbed a cereal bar from the pantry to throw in her backpack just in case, even though she had plenty of time to get something proper to eat on her usual work lunchbreak. Maybe this was just a habit of wanting to be prepared. 

She almost fell over while picking up her keys when she wanted to head out, Spirit was really quiet on her feet, and seeminlgy very affectionate this morning. Eva hadnt noticed until the cat was already rubbing herself against its owners' legs.  
''You dont wanna get out in the cold yet, you know that!'' she reminded, but couldnt get herself to really be mad. One last pat on the head for Spirit, and Eva was out of the door, her backpack lazily thrown over her shoulder.  
The motion-sensors lit up her way as she walked over to the garage, the snow beneath her feet scrunching loudly.

Having her own car to drive to work was still a luxury to her, even after two years. It had been a gift from her father when she turned 18, so she treasured it. As reckless as she had been with flying the Whizzing Arrow, driving was something else entirely.

She turned down the radio a little, the hum from the heating system disturbed the sound anyway.  
It was still dark outside, but not a cloud in the sky. As much as it sucked to get up early in the morning, the view of a million stars sparkling up above, reflecting on the snow and illuminating the night was breathtaking.  
She glanced up a little more intensely when she waited at a redlight.

5 years...

It had been 5 years now...  
She wondered how everyone was doing at the moment. She knew the Crogs' forces had been eliminated near earth, she only hoped it was the same everywhere else. Almost everyone she had met back then really deserved it.  
As it was expected of her, she had not spoken a word of the incident ever since the day they returned to earth. Except for with her father of course, or with Stan or Koji when they visited on holidays. That didnt make it any less hard, though.

Even now, the memory of everything that happened was still so fresh. Everything was so clear, like a photograph, even though it still seemed like a dream to her at times.  
But it had been a reality.

She drove on as the light turned green, giving the stars above one last glance before concentrating on the road again.

It was only normal that some friends from back then took up a little more space than others in her head, though.

'I wonder if he forgot his promise...' 

She knew it was hard to get messages through, especially from a faraway planet like Nourasia, all the way to earth..  
The news were quiet about what was happening there, too, as they had always been.  
She just hoped he was alright. Maybe it was better if she would just forget him, she thought. If he forgot her, had he not done so already. It would be best for both of them.

 

She was among the first few to enter the hangars, as every morning.  
When she graduated, she didnt even need the help of her father to quickly establish herself among the wide field of expert mechanics. A little help here and there, perhaps, but her skill spoke for itself mostly.  
It was going to be a rather slow day, only a few comissions to assemble. She could take her time, ever since she moved out she didnt even have anyone to rush back home to, except for her cat.  
She grabbed her toolbox and headed off to the first engine of the day, its metal still cold and rough even though she started the big fanned heaters a few minutes ago.  
''Alright, here we go..''

 

~~~~~~

 

The end of her shift was dawning. It had started to snow a good few hours back, the sky all grey with thick, fluffy clouds. Eva didnt mind it. She liked winter the same as summer, at least she wasnt all sweaty at the end of her shift. Her clothes and a fair amount of her skin were covered in oil though.

''Ey, boss!'' a familiar voice called, one of her coworkers. He started at this place at around the same time she had, but he was a little lower on the 'food-chain'.  
''What is it?'' she stopped her work on the cables of a rather big motor engine for a minute to properly respond.  
''You know where the blueprints for the G45-7 engine are?'' he asked, raising his eyebrows a little in anticipation.  
''Uh, top row on shelf B, in the middle somewhere. Did you check it?''  
''Yeah, its not there.''  
''Then check shelf D, bottom row on the left.'' she hated the way the blueprints were stored, it had taken a while to really get how they were organized, but now she could pretty much predict where something would end up eventually.  
''Alright! Also, I think your shifts' over soon, isnt it?''  
''Really?'' a glance to the clock told her he was not even joking. ''Well, then I'd say I'll be on my way then. You can print out the forms for this thing here though, I'll have it done by 11 tomorrow.'' 

 

A little while later, and she was in the car again. Eva liked her job, it gave her a lot of freedom, but she could still get really involved in what she loved, being able to get crafty, covered in oil and sweat, all with the vision of a flawless machiene, eventually making it work. It was satisfying, somehow. 

She didnt immediately go back into the house when she arrived at home, though..  
What most people couldnt see was the big, secret underground layer underneath the garage, spreading all the way under a part of the house itself as well.  
Stored in there was something that was still very important to her. A little rusty, broken in most places, a bit battered perhaps, a very special souvenir.  
Eva had not been down there in a couple of weeks, just knowing it was there was enough for her most days. But today was different.

The lightswitch at the top of the stairs was already covered in a layer of dust when it was turned with a click. At least no spiderwebs yet.  
The ones that were down in the main hangar were not as bad, at least. The blue-ish neon-lights on the ceiling hummed, illuminating the room well enough to see the specks of dust floating around.

''Hey, old fellow.''  
Her hand grazed over the metal shell of the remains of the Whizzing Arrow. Sometimes she could swear there was still some sand and rubble from Oban on it. There was probably still a lot in the exhaust filters, but she had not yet gotten herself to actually butcher the ship.  
With a nostalgic sigh, she climbed on top of it, the pilot chamber was still open. Eva had grown since then, but only a few more centimeters. The seat still fit her perfectly. She didnt sit on it properly, just leaned against it, reminiscing in memories.

'I wonder if this thing will still start...'  
She brushed off some dust from the main control panel.  
'Probably not, if it wasnt already broken back then, then it is now.'  
She still could not help but press the required buttons, either way.

To her surprise, she heard something begin to stir inside the engines of the ship, a few lights started flickering, too.  
A big grin made its way onto her face, she pushed the buttons again, but stopped when she heard a slight rumble from inside the machienery. It didnt fully turn on, and it sure as hell would not take off, but seeing the holographic board before her again almost made her squeal with happiness.

''Oh man, this is awesome!'' she laughed, looking over everything just like she did all those years ago.  
Somethig was off, though.  
She almost didnt hear it at first, but something was weird about the static of the communication-system. Almost like a pattern. She didnt really mind it at first, it was probably just a glitch since the other end of the system was pretty much nonexistend.  
But still..

Just when she wanted to turn the ship off again, she decided to pull out her phone. Maybe she could link the channel with it, just for fun, she thought.  
Getting the same wavelenght was childs play for her, but her phone only showed static, too.  
When the Arrow was shut down, she made her way back into the house.  
As expected, she was greeted by a hungry cat and solitude. 

 

Maybe she had listened to closely, but she was staring to pick something up in the static.  
Eva shrugged it off for now. She was hungry, it was still relatively early, so she would take her time and make a proper meal for once.  
She could always worry later about what she heard, or maybe just wanted to hear, in the static...  
Sometimes she almost hated the undying curiosity in herself. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Hours later, when it was already dark outside, she turned her attention towards her phone once more.  
Maybe she didnt just make it up, she thought.  
There was something in the white noise of the static, and it repeated itself, over and over again. Something like a morse-code, of sort.  
'Thats weird..'  
Eva pulled out the small laptop from underneath her pillow, it was still synched with her phone from the night before, so she didnt have to do that anymore.

'We'll see, maybe I can locate something..'  
It wasnt easy she recalled, but every girl liked a challenge every now and then. It was probably still nothing, but she knew she would not stop thinking about it until she knew exactly what was causing these noises.  
It was one hell of a hacking-job for her, but it was kind of exiting. It had been a long time since she could really dive into some computer-stuff, and this was pretty fun, to say the least. After a while, she didnt even have to look at her fingers hacking commands into the control panels anymore. Oh, this was fun.

~~~

It sure wasnt the source she had expected.  
Whatever was causing the signal didnt have its origin on earth, she concluded, after hours of searching and failed localization-attempts. But with the means she had, she would not be able to scan further than a few miles around the globe. It was impressive that one could already do so much with a standard laptop and a WiFi-connection, technology had really improved over the last 100 years.  
That didnt mean she wasnt still bummed out just a little, though.  
Maybe it was just that some of the tech they left behind on Oban was perhaps still working, still connected to the Arrow? That would explain the awful static. Not the clicking, though.  
No, she thought. Everything was as good as destroyed, and even if something had survived the rubble and dust, the power must have run out a long time ago. 

With a big sigh, she let herself fall back onto the matress for once, her equipment sprawled out around her.  
'Well, maybe I'll find out tomorrow.'  
The soft clicking noises were still audible through the headphones that lay next to her head. Somehow, it sounded comforting without all the static, at least she had been able to sort that out.  
'Its probably nothing...' she closed her eyes, slowly getting lost in her own thoughts.  
'But just maybe, what if it isnt? It doesnt hurt to research a little more, right?'  
With a small, small grin on her face, she rolled over. 

For the first time in a good year, she dreamed of flying.  
It was her favourite dream. The rocket seat of the Arrow fit her like a glove, she could almost feel the energy of it all, engines roaring and pushing her forward, always forward..  
It wasnt a violent race. She was just fyling, steadily onwards, leaning into curves her mind made up as it went, making her spin around obstacles before she could really even see what they were.  
There werent any opponents, no fear. She wanted to yell and cheer in pure joy. She couldnt recall a time where flying felt that fun except for in this dream. Well, the one time she raced the Prince perhaps, but that too had only been fun while it had lasted..

Sometimes she would even realize that she was dreaming.  
And then, even more than usual, she would try to stretch every moment, trying to get as much out of it as she could.  
This dream wasnt one of them, but it felt just as good.


	2. The Signal

Weeks had gone by since Eva had first isolated and observed that strange signal in the static.  
For the time being, it had been there whenever she checked. After a while, she had almost forgotten, but whenever she went back to the channel, it was there.  
Some days it was quieter than others, sometimes it was only a few clicks a minute, barely audible. Other days, it was almost frantic. 

Just when she was just about sure it had only been an interference, just a tiny glitch in the broken broadcast of the Arrow, it went completely silent.  
She had checked on it after work, a fresh cup of coffee still in her hand as she leaned against the countertop in her kitchen.  
She tilted her head in confusion, turning around to lay her phone on the counter, slowly taking a sip of the still almost boiling hot liquid.

'Well.. That's weird.'  
Her concentration was interrupted by her cat rubbing itself against her legs, reminding her that it was dinnertime with a squeaky 'mrroow'.  
''Oh, sorry girl. Almost forgot..''  
She bowed down to a bottom drawer, quickly taking out a can of catfood to crack open and empty a good amount of it into her cats' dish. Eva didnt even need to set that one on the floor, the sleek little creature had picked up the habit of just jumping onto the counter to feed as soon as the bricks of meat hit the bowl. Eva didnt mind it, so she just let her be.

While she was at it, it was time for herself to get something to eat as well.  
Her thoughts still got back around to the absent signal as she was going through the fridge.  
''Kind of sad, you know?'' she spoke, half to herself, and probably a little bit to the cat.  
''Really made me think about the good old times again.''  
She grabbed at an apple, tossing it up just bit before catching it, looking over to check for bad spots.  
'No, I should make something proper.'  
She rolled it back to the rest of the fruits.  
''Hm.. looks like I'll just make something up as I go.''

She picked a few things out of the fridge and losely arranged them on the counter, getting some rice out of another shelf.  
''If I remember correctly, this shooould just make a decent Cutlet-Bowl-ish kind of situation. Sounds good, doesnt it?'' she looked over to Spirit, who was still nose-deep into her meal, not giving her any attantion at the moment, as anticipated.  
''Could put on some music while I'm at it~'' she scooted back over to where her phone was laying, even sliding a bit on the smooth floor with her fluffy socks.  
She would never get too old to do that.

A gentle swipe over the screen unlocked her phone, and Eva froze.  
It wasnt the program she had left open. Well, it sort of was, but it looked different.  
Still the dark grey background, but the soundwave-lines were gone, replaced by what looked like a searchbar right in the middle.

'What?'  
She took the phone in both hands to take a better look, even turning up the screen brightness just to make sure.  
'What the hell..' she turned to lean against the counter once more.  
It seemed to be just that. A search bar of some kind. Even with the small blinking line in the middle.  
''Thats so weird..''  
Spirit just finished her food, dragging her slender body against Evas' back before jumping off the countertop. 

She closed off the program. Maybe it was just another glitch, she thought, but still..  
If it still was like this the next time she opened it, she could take a closer look.

Cooking didnt exactly take long, but even her music couldnt really distact her.  
What exactly had that bar been? She had never heard about a program just opening up like that, especially not from a communication channel that had been dead for a good 5 years, give or take.  
A part of her hoped it was nothing, maybe her phone malfunctioned again. It did that sometimes, right?  
A bigger part of her kind of hoped it was not, though...  
Even though her racing-days back on Oban were mostly over, she still seemed to miss a lot now. Maybe just had not realized, but she really did. Working as a mechanic was dreamy for her, and yet. It had all been so exiting...

When she settled down on the couch, a bowl of her food in one hand, her phone in the other, Eva decided it was time.  
Almost painfully slow, she opened up the program.

'Still there...'  
Her thumb hovered over the blinking line on the text bar, she contemplated whether or not it was a good idea to actually press down.  
She almost jumped when the keyboard actually came into view when she gently placed her finger on the blinking line. She had not expected it would actually work.

''So, uh..'' the bowl was quickly set down beside her as she crossed her legs, concentrating fully on her phone for a second.  
''What should we write..''

It took her almost a full minute to decide on something.  
A simple ''Hello?'' wouldnt be bad, would it?  
To her surprise, the message just appeared in the middle of the screen for about two seconds before fading into the dark background. 

No response, as she anticipated.

''Well, just a glitch after all''  
She put away her phone, grabbing the TV-remote instead. The smell of her food had almost been torturing her grumbling stomach anyway.

It had been just another saturday, so she could stay up however long she wanted once more. Saturday shifts were usually shorter anyway, so she wasnt even exhausted yet.

A couple of episodes of some new series and about three quarters of a movie later, she was practically melted into the cushions of her couch, the empty bowl set down on the small coffeetable where her feet rested.  
Just when she wanted to rest her head to the side, against a big, soft pillow, a loud buzzing sound ripped her from her half-slumber.

It wasnt one of the usual vibrating-patterns her phone had, Eva almost suspected she was being called, but a glance at the screen a good arms-lenght from her told her otherwise.

'Whats with that thing now...'

Not unlocking just yet, she took a quick look at the lockscreen to see which kind of message she had recieved, or if her phone was really just going crazy again.

'Well, thats not normal'  
The little logo onscreen only told her that the message came from the channeling program.  
'That thing doesnt do that normally.. Eh, maybe an update or something'

Another swipe, another surprise. It wasnt an update, but a little red ''1'' had appeared at the top-right corner of the apps' logo, just like it did with messaging apps.  
She really wanted to calm her curiosity, but this time, she just couldnt.

Her smile grew in anticipation as she waited for the program to open. Turned out three and a half seconds could really stretch if they wanted to.

Her breathing stopped when she saw what she had gotten the notification for.  
The same font she had used to type in her greeting (even if it was meant more as a playful silliness, rather than an actual greeting) about three hours prior, just a little more towards the top of the screen, maybe a little different in coloration.

_''Molly? Is that you?''_

So it had been a signal all this time.  
And whoever it was seemed to know her. Well enough to know her by the name she had given herself on a planet further away from earth than the human brain could comprehend...  
Eva could feel her heart beating faster. The message dissapeared like hers had after a few more seconds, an she felt her hands begin to tremble. She couldnt tell if she was scared or exited. It had to be someone from back then!

_''Yes, it is.'' she typed quickly with both hands, something she rarely ever did.  
''But who are you?''_

She send the message back into the void like before, staring at her screen for a few more seconds, unable to wrap her mind around what was happening.  
Hopefully she would not have to wait another three hours for a reply...

 

10 minutes of pure agony seemed to be enough, though. Eva practically jumped when the buzzing alarm went off once more, immediately grabbing at the phone to check the message.

_''Oh Molly, I've been trying to reach you for so long. I deeply aplogize.''_

She tilted her head to the side, but before she could elaborate whether or not her mysterious deep-space-messager had forgotten or mis-read her question, another text popped up on the screen briefly.

_''Its Aikka.''_ 

Her smile widened, and she let herself roll back onto her back, the screen just inches from her face.  
She was still questioning, though. After all, she was anything but naive.

_''Alright. How do I know it is really you though? And how are we communicating at the moment, anyway?''_, she typed, much more comfortably now. 

The next 10 minutes gave her mind all the time it needed to scramble up in memories and hopes again.  
She clung to the thought that it was really him. She had missed a lot of the other racers, but he just sort of had a special place in her mind, it seemed. He had been a close friend, after all.  
Could it really be?  
It was almost too nice to be true. It had to be a trick of some sort.  
But just maybe, it wasnt?

The messages had to be travelling a long distance. It almost took exactly ten minutes, yet again, before she got another answer.

_''When I used the telepathy spell back on Oban, I was able to sort of.. put a tracking-checkpoint on your ship, in a way. How do you think I was able to find you in the desert otherwise?''_

That was a good point.  
Just when she wanted to write back, another small message appeared, a little more briefly than the others.

_''I'll explain it better soon, Earth princess. I called you 'Earth princess' back then, didnt I?''_ 

Even though there was no such thing as emojis in this 'chatroom', she could almost feel the smirk behind the words. He had been rather suavé, she remembered. Not when everything went sour, but now, she was pretty sure it was actually him. And she was so glad she almost wanted to queak in joy.

_''Alright, I believe you. So, why did you contact me? Just to catch up? Its been so long.''_

Eva sighed heavily when she put back her phone.  
She wished he only wanted to catch up. Communicating with old friends always felt nice, and this one was a really special companion, too. Of course, the silly little crush she had back then wasnt forgotten, but for now, she really just felt relieved her old friend was seemingly fine.  
In the meantime, Eva went over to the bedroom to get a nice fluffy blanket. It wasnt as thick as a regular one, but much more soft, and a little bigger. Perfect on cold nights like these and blanket burritos on the couch. 

Just when she had settled back down, all huddled up, the phone went off again.

_''Well, partly to catch up. Things are... A little rough, here.''_ 

She raised her eyebrows, leaning back against the couch. 

_''Partly the reason I did not reach out to you sooner.''_ 

''My god, just get to the point..'' she muttered, meanwhile Spirit had taken the opportunity to join her master on the couch, curling up in a tight little cat-roll on Evas lap.

_''After the race, there were a lot of... disturbances, of sort. My descisions basically broke the 'Alliance' we had to the Crogs overnight.''_

It was rather logical when he put it like that. Maybe she just had not thought about it too hard. And still, the final words in his string of messages made her heart sink a little.

_''We've been at war for 5 years.''_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet again:
> 
> I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THIS THIS IS PURELY WRITTEN FOR FUN!!!
> 
> Sooo yeah this is how it starts, I guess. Theres a lot more to come, haha.


	3. The Arrival

It took Eva a while to find the right words to say. It was a delicate topic, after all.

_''Oh god, thats... so terrible. Im so sorry.''_she typed. It still felt a little wrong, but it was better than nothing.

_''Are you alright, are you safe? If theres anything I can do to help, just tell me!''_

She knew firsthand how cruel the Crogs were. She had seen it.  
And what she had not seen while racing, she had been taught. History lessons had always been long and tedious, but carried important information.  
She didnt recall the exact numbers, but she knew a lot of people had fallen when the Crogs first attacked earth.  
And she dared to believe that Nourasia didnt have the same defences earth had. It seemed they were a bit.. traditional, still.  
Powerful enough to be pulled into an Alliance instead of being completely eliminated, though...

Her phone went off once more.

_''Dont worry about me.''_

She sighed heavily. Of course she would worry!  
_''We're all in hiding at the moment. My family, that is. We're on the run mostly, which is dangerous, but I dont think this kingdom could handle actually losing a royal member now, so we stay away from the most danger.''_

Seemed logical.

_''But how have you been?''_

She almost wanted to laugh. What a transition. Shaking her head a little, she typed.

_''Well, I'm fine. Finished my studies, and now I'm working as a mechanic. Its been really peaceful around here for the last few years, too. Got my own place now, its really nice. I got a cat too.''_

Did he even know what cats were? Well, why wouldnt he. Earth was rather prominent in the known cosmos after all.

In the meantime, she put on the TV.  
Some kind of documentary on Australias wildlife, it looked rather old. Well, it was interesting to see what the world had been like almost a century ago.

She didnt exactly get why one would jump on and wrestle an almost full-grown crocodile, but the guy seemed passionate about it.

Well, she had seen crazier stuff.

~~~~~~

 

Almost two weeks went by.  
Though she had little time to reply while she was working, she was almost constantly chatting when she was at home.  
It felt really nice, too. Sometimes, it was good to be able to just let everything out, not having to hide anything. Everything that happened on Oban had made such a large imprint on her that having to keep quiet was painful at times.  
She had her father and all, but talking about that with him was still different than this. He had been there, but he had not been a pilot. Maybe that was why?

Sadly, Aikka could not tell her much about his exact situation, mostly keeping her questions at bay with unsatisfying 'I'll tell you someday'-s or 'Its hard to explain like this'-s.

It was a late sunday evening, only a few clouds in the sky. In a few hours give or take, it would be completely pitch black. The days were still on the short side.

Eva had not recieved messages all day. It was normal that he would mostly respond around evening, but it was a little late today, even by his standards.  
Sometimes she really worried when this happened, it was not uncommon, but she could not help but cross her fingers, just in case. War was not an easy thing to deal with, he sounded confident, but he was still very much in danger.

It was all the more relieving when her phone finally went off once more. The message was short this time, and straight to the point.

_''Molly? I know this is a bit random, and a bit sudden perhaps, but.. I could use some help.''_  
Her eyebrows twitched a bit in confusion, it was indeed a bit random.

_''What is it?''_ she asked into the void in return.

Spirit walked over to her, meowing a bored greeting.

''Hey girl.'' She picked her up with one hand, she wasnt a big cat after all. She still checked her phone with the other when she had settled the animal against her torso comfortably.

It wasnt the answer she had anticipated. At least not this soon.

_''I dont know how to put this best, but.. You said you live alone, right?''_

What was with him now? Before she could really elaborate, the messages went on.

_''We've been cornered. We've managed disabling the crew of a small ship. I need to.. dissapear for a few days.''_

Slowly, she started to put together what he was getting at as the texts went on.

_''I need someone I can trust. They cannot know where Im headed, but we need some help. I think I could make it to earth with this thing, with a bit of luck perhaps. We'll see how we procede from there, but can you hide me until then? I will explain further when we meet.''_ 

So he was in trouble after all..

Eva contemplated for a good 5 minutes. It would probably be dangerous if the Crogs were still after him. But hell, he was her friend! She couldnt just leave him hanging now.

Slowly, her fingers pressed the digits on her phone.

_''Yes.''_ she got that text through first before explaining what she had in store already.

_''You said you can sort of locate the Arrow, right? There is a big forrest about an hours drive to the east from my place, very old. If we're sneaky and have a lot of luck, I dont think someone would notice, if its a small ship you boarded.''_

That might just work. The forrest was really rather old, almost completely untouched. With the advance of technology, there had been some precautions as well. Big, conservationally protected forrests were one of those. As nice as money was, everyone needed air to breathe.  
Except for some small passages, there werent even streets to her knowledge. Luckily, her car had four-wheel drive. 

_''But youre going to have a lot of explaining to do, Prince!''_

It would be a lie to say she wasnt still exited to see him again, though. And probably soon, too.

_''Gladly, Princess. I dont know how fast this ship can get me there, but I estimate its going to be about two or three days, perhaps?''_

_''Well, you havent piloted a ship before, have you? Try not to crash into asteroids or other planets on the way here.''_

_''Ha-Ha. Trying my best, But there way seems to be clear for now?''_

So he was already on the way. Good to know.

~~~~~~~~~~~

After that, there was silence.  
Eva had tried sending out more messages, but recieved no answers. Perhaps something was breaking the connection, or he was too busy figuring out the controls on whatever he had to maneuver.  
She didnt want to worry so hard, but of course she did. It was like having to hope your dog would eventually figure out how to make a fire. It probably wasnt second nature to him, but you never know.

She still had a good while until he would arrive, that meant she had all the time she needed to start thinking.  
About trivial things, even. She wondered how he would look like after 5 years..  
He would probably be taller now. Maybe he grew his hair out? It had been rather funny-looking back then.

Then again, he was probably asking himself the same questions, she thought.  
She had changed a little too. She hadnt grown much, Rick still had her saved as 'Little Mouse' in his phone to her knowledge. And he was probably right, especially next to him, she was tiny.  
Her hair was shorter now, but the coloration remained the same. She liked it like that, even if it was shorter. A small tattoo resembling the earth teams' logo on her ankle, she just had not been able to help herself. It was not something an outstander would be able to identify anyway, so it shouldnt hurt.  
Other than that, she couldnt think about anything worth mentioning.

Eva rolled over on the couch, facing yet another documentary. She seemed to have found a healthy interest in those over the last few years. They were rather relaxing to just have running in the background.  
A small smile found its way onto her face.  
Even through the harsh circumstances, she would get to see her old friend again.

Oh, she was so looking forward to this... 

 

~~~~~~~~~

The wait felt longer than she hoped it would.  
2 days had come and gone, and not a single message.  
At least she could get her mind off of things while she was working on an especially large and complicated jet-engine.  
By the time she was done, she was almost completely covered in oil. Well, she was blessed enough to have a washing machiene, so why not put it to use every now and then?  
She didnt raise any suspicions when she waved her coworkers goodbye for the day. The past 5 years made her rather proficient in keping secrets, so it was childs play for her, really.  
Before she started the engine of her car, she checked her phone, just in case.  
To her surprise, there really was a notification. And it wasnt just one message.

_''I'll be there in five hours.''_ the first one read, she quickly checked the clock, but she had a feeling already that the message wasnt very recent.

_''Four hours.''_

_''Three hours.''_ 

_''Two hours.''_ 

She held her breath. Hopefully she would not be too late.  
Luckily, it stopped there. 2 Hours should not be too bad-  
Before she could even process her thought, the notification went off once more.

Only one hour left.  
Just enough for her to drive to the checkpoint.  
Eva started the engine, careful not to drive off with too much haste. She still had to be careful.

She even put on music as she drove over the streets that usually took her home, maybe a bit louder than she normally did. Her fingers tapped the steering wheel to the rythm when the song was just right, keeping her thoughts a bit more aimed towards the road, rather than the sky.  
These streets were rather uncommon for her, maybe she had taken this path once or twice when she went to a larger city with her father, or a friend occasionally. 

~~~~~~~

An exit on the highway took her through a smaller town around 45 minutes later. It was completely dark by now, her headlights the only thing lighting her way from here.  
Only small houses, left and right. She was pretty sure she had seen a restaurant and a coffeeshop somewhere too, but she could not be too sure.  
As the street went on, there were less and less buildings, and after a while, they were completely gone.  
Only fields, left and right. Too dark to really make out what would be growing there when spring came.

Eva turned down her music a little when she finally saw the trees in a distance.  
She had a good few miles ahead of her, wanting to make sure absolutely no one would see. 

The forrest was scary somehow.  
At night, to be exact. Due to the weather, all the trees were still barren, branches reaching into the nightsky like crooked, dead skeletons. Maybe it was really just the absence of light that made it so uncomfortable, when the forrest was rather inviting during the day. 

When the concrete road ended, she finally put on the brights some more. She was too far away from the city to be seen now, anyway. Her music was completely turned off, her full concentration on the street. The last thing she could use right now was an accident.

The 'road' went on and on, Eva almost feared she would not make it in time, since she had been a good 20 minutes late, technically.

At least, she was able to find a suitable spot.  
A nice clearing inbetween some big trees, nice and open, but still very hidden. The hills and groves nearby would be perfect to swallow any bigger sounds, she noticed as well. 

Gently, she drove her car right to the middle, gathering all her courage to exit the vehicle when she came to a halt.  
From the trunk, she took a rather big flashlight. So it wasnt as useless as she initially thought.  
Eva climbed on top of her car, only typing one last message into her phone before glancing up.

_''Im there. I'll make some light-signals, but try not to land on me.''_ 

A little humour seemed appropriate now.

Without any surrounding lights, the nightsky looked more beautiful than anything she had seen before.  
Thousands of starts above. She could even make out the light, glowing streak of the milky way over her head.  
It was rare to be far away enough from civilization to see the stars that bright. 

She smiled widely at the sight, her breath forming small clouds in the cold air.  
Her flashlight flickered irregular patterns upwards, right into the endless abyss. She wondered if it would be enough, but hope was all she had now. And anything else was probably too bright, anyway. 

~~~~~~~~

Just when she thought her hands would freeze to the flashlights' metal handle, she saw something. Right above her, a dark shadow, slowly getting bigger, seemingly approaching.  
She put away the light, beaming brightly now.

She knew he would not see, but she raised both her arms to a wave, her heart beating faster than ever. As much as she hated goodbyes, she loved reunions. And he had definately been among the people she missed the most from back then.

It didnt take long until she could make out the outlines of the ship.  
He had mentioned it was a Crog ship, a trident like the one she had raced many years ago. But smaller than that, and it looked slightly different in design, as well. Probably a warship, meant for interplanetary travel and conquest, all in one. An updated version, perhaps, but she could not see too much, it was still too far away.  
One more short lightsignal, and she threw the flashlight back into her trunk. He must have seen that.

Eva watched as the ship came closer and closer; just to make sure, she maneuvered her car a little closer to the trees on the edge of the clearing. First landings were always a little rough.  
When she got out once more, she thought her ears were tricking her, though.  
It sounded like.. thunder, yet it was nowhere near the season for rainstorms. And not a single cloud had been in the sky just seconds ago.  
A glance towards the sky gave her the answer though, and her heart sank.

Something had gone incredibly wrong.

She had estimated the ship had been a good 5 or 6 miles up still, but she saw a stream of smoke trailing behind it.

Another blast, even louder this time. Now she could see what was going on.  
Something in, or perhaps, on the ship was exploding. Maybe a tactic of self-destruction, but if that was the case, why was it not designed to do so much earlier? Maybe something had malfunctioned, perhaps. One could only speculate, and at the moment, she only had one thing in mind.

''Oh... FUCK''

A piece of rubble already hit the ground a few feet from her, making her jump. Before she could react, she heard another loud crash, coming from the other direction. Seemed like the ship was falling apart.  
She ran over to her car, quickly jumping in to protect herself.

Only a few more seconds, and she heard what mustve been the main ship crashing into the hillside, even through the hands she had pressed to her ears.

Of course something had to go wrong.  
She gritted her teeth, trying to block out the sound for a second.

At least there was nothing to follow.  
Eva didnt wait long to hurry back out of her car, quickly scanning the area. 

Where she had been, there wasnt much rubble, her car had been spared of it as well, partly thanks to the treebranches above it.

She saw smoke coming from a few 100 yards away, give or take. It seemed the ship had really crashed right into the hillside. 

There was no way he could have survived this.

And yet, she ran. 

Straight onwards, her legs aching through the effort of having to shove away snow, even though it only went up to her ankles. She had only ran for a minute or two, but it felt longer. It had been a while since she had last ran up a hill, too. 

''Aikka!'' she yelled as the ship (or what was left of it) came into view. 

~~~~~~

She stood a good few metres from it still, breathing heavily.  
It seemed so unreal to her, but still, she felt so relived.

The ship was still smoking, broken in most places, but there was someone leaning against it, seemingly breathing just as heavily as she did, coughing from the smoke.  
Not a huge, terrifying form like a Crog.  
It was just as she had imagined.

''Aikka?'' she asked once more, her steps much more careful now.

The person raised his head suddenly to look at her, long hair hung losely over his face, but she would recognize these blue eyes anywhere.  
He stood a little more straight now, Eva saw he was clutching his right shoulder awkwardly, and it seemed he had been thrown around quite a bit. It was too dark to really make out anything major.

''Hey'' he spoke, taking his hand from his shoulder briefly, attempting an awkward wave.  
''Molly. It's been a while.'' 

If she hadnt recognized the eyes, it would have been the smile that gave it away.


	4. The Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where the Fluff starts ya'll
> 
> (also smol warning, its gonna get a liiittle gore-y)

Within seconds, Eva found herself pressed firmly against her old friend, her arms wrapped tightly around him, as if she feared he would dissapear again should she let go.

''Im so glad.'' she whispered, her face nestled against him.   
Just as she had foreseen, he was taller now, his shoulders a bit broader, too.   
He had pulled her in for a hug as well, yet she noticed he had only done so with his left arm, the right one just hanging by his side, unmoving.

''Ive missed you.'' he answered, his voice a bit raspy from the smoke.  
Finally, Eva got herself to pull away a little, looking over him as best as she could.

''Are you okay? That landing was.. uhm'' she glanced over to the smoking carcass of the ship.  
''I know. Not everyone can be as good a pilot as you, Princess.'' she could see he was smirking slightly, but still looked like he was in a fair amount of pain.  
''Not the time to be sly about it, Prince.''   
Even through the darkness, she could see there was something very wrong with his shoulder.  
Carefully, she put her hand on it, gaining a wince in response.   
She tried to take a closer look. He had been closest to the explosions, after all.

Eva let him lean a little more onto her as she continued to feel over the place. Right away, she felt there was blood, and not just a little.  
He gritted his teeth in pain when her hand found something sharp. Something that surely didnt belong there.   
It seemed to be the tip of something like a metal nail, she estimated it mustve been about as long as her hand in its entirety, sticking out just below his collarbone.   
So the Crogs still used nailbombs.. Well, it seemed like them to stoop so low.

''Fuck..'' she muttered, letting go of him once more. ''Lets get you to the car, come on!'' 

He oblieged, letting her drag him along.  
''You should get that looked at.'', she continued, guiding him along the same path she had taken to get there.

''No.'' he answered, blinking in an attempt to see a little better. ''Well.. they cant get to know Im still alive. I need to-'' he stopped to cough once more, ''I need to dissapear completely until I find a way to get back, in the best case. Thank you for helping me, though. I'll pay you back one day.''

''Its nothing. But are you sure you dont want to get that treated properly? To my knowledge theres a lot of like, tendons and stuff there. Arteries too, that could be a problem.''

''If it had hit an artery, I would have bled out just about now.''   
Good to know.

''Well, I'll see what we can do. For now, try not to pass out while I take us home, alright?'' Her grip on him got a bit firmer when the clearing finally came into view.   
''Almost there..'' 

He almost sighed in relief when he could finally rest back against the passenger seat. The light from her car enabled Eva to get a better look at him, though.  
He was wearing a well-tailored, light-couloured suit it seemed, though it was completely stained by blood around his wound, and torn in some more places, but nothing too major, a few bloody scratches from the rubble perhaps. There were darker highlights on it here and there, it looked rather modern, even. His hair was open, and much longer than she remembered, reaching just below his neck. It was a bit thicker perhaps, but still straight as grass, though it was a little messy now, understandably.  
His face had changed a little, too. Much more mature, the edges a little sharper than she had anticipated. Still recognizable, at least.  
Eva put the seat back some more so he could at least kind of lay back. 

She went back to the trunk to get an old towel, normally she only used that one to get rid of the most oil and dirt after work so she wouldnt stain her car too much, probably not the best thing she could have offered, but it was all she had at the moment.

Carefully, she pulled the zipper of his suit down a little to put the towel over the wound. As he had estimated, it didnt seem like a big artery had been hit, yet it was still bleeding.  
''Here, press that on it.'' She got rid of her own jacket to put between his shoulder and the carseat. It looked like the nail (or shrapnel, for all she could tell) had hit him from behind, lodging itself inbetween the bones of his collarbone and shoulder. Maybe thats why he couldnt move his arm, she thought.

She went over to the drivers' seat, and she was back on the street in no time.  
Eva took a different way home than she had taken to get there, just to make sure. 

She tried to talk a little, but noticed he seemed to get quieter as time went by.  
''So.. how long have you been alone?'' he asked, finally. Eva heard that his breathing was on the slow side, but steady, at least.

''Little less than two years. It was more convenient, closer to where I work. Gave me a little more space to myself, too.'' she didnt look at him, keeping her eyes on the road just to make sure. 

''Seems like you.'' he chuckled. ''Get visited often?''

''Occasionally. Probably not as often as you though.'' 

''In times when we still lived in the palace, perhaps. Not so much anymore. As I said, we're on the run.'' he cleared his throat before wincing slightly. Maybe the whole impact of the crash just now got to him, Eva feared.

''Just.. hang on for a little longer. We'll be there soon.'' she spoke softly, trying to sound as confident as she could. 

''Hm-hm..'' he agreed, letting his head rest a bit more to the side with a sigh. 

''I hope it doesnt hurt too bad..'' she murmured. From what she knew, adrenaline and the such could block out a lot. Maybe it was just the bloodloss that made him feel worse.

For now, she would let him rest a little. There was still some way ahead of them.

~~~~

The car came to a halt at a redlight. It wasnt a long drive anymore, 15 minutes tops, she estimated.

''Aikka?'' she asked carefully, glancing over to him. He seemed to be completely out of it, not responding.   
''Hey.'' she continued. They were the only car on the street, it was the dead of night, so she dared to not pay attention should the lights change.  
Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, she placed the other on his neck below his jawline, checking for a pulse. This whole situation made her paranoid.  
Maybe it was just her fingers being too cold from grasping the wheel, but she couldnt feel something beat. Now, she was officially freaked out.

''Aikka!'' she demanded a bit louder now, placing her hand on the right side of his chest, trying to get to feel something there.   
Just before she started to shiver, she felt him stir beneath her fingers.

''N.. no..'' his good hand grasped hers gently, guiding it up towards the base of his throat, pressing her fingers to it just above his left collarbone. To her surprise, she could feel a pulse there. A bit slower than she would have wanted it to be, but it was there.   
Of course his anatomy would be different from hers. Could have spared herself from that panic-attack..  
''There..'' he added, his eyes half-open to look at her. For a moment she even looked right into them, but couldnt hold the eye-contact for long, not exactly knowing why.

''And..'' she felt his hand grab hers a little tighter once more, moving it down his torso, pulling down the zipper of his suit a bit more before moving one side of it away, pressing Evas' hand down on himself just below his right pectoral muscle. If she really concentrated, she could feel his heartbeat thrumming against his ribs.  
''There.'' 

She let her hand rest there a bit longer than absolutely necessary.

''I wont go down that easily, dont worry..'' he spoke softly, almost too exhausted to really put effort behind it. His hand was still holding hers tightly, trying to reassure her a little.

''Alright.'' she gently pulled away after some more silence and half-hearted eye-contact, managing to drive on just before the light changed back to red once more.  
''We'll be home soon.''

 

~~~~~

''Got a really nice house as far as I can tell.'' he commented, at least she didnt have heavy rugs or anything on the floor that would make walking harder. Eva let him lean onto her, supporting him as best as she could.

The two of them were greeted by Spirit as soon as Eva opened the living room door, but the cat didnt get close yet. She just stared at her owner, then at the stranger, before she let out a confused (but adorable) meow.

''Hope youre not allergic.'' Eva chuckled, guiding him towards the couch.

''I dont think so.'' he took a closer look at the animal as it moved around them, its green eyes scanning both closely.  
''You said you named her after Spirit, right?'' 

''I did. I dont know, I just thought it fit. Reminds me of back then, and perhaps my mother.''  
She helped him take seat on the couch, feeling instantly reliefed that they had made it so far already.  
''I'll go get some towels and stuff. I dont think i need to tell you not to move.'' 

She heard him cackle slighty at her remark as she left the room.

 

That gave Aikka some time to really take a look at his surroundings.  
So that was how Molly lived now...  
It was nice, maybe even a little bigger than he had imagined. Comfortable, even.   
Spirit jumped onto the sofas' headrest, walking over to him slowly, gracefully. 

''Hey, little one.'' he simply greeted, maybe he would have even reached out to her, but at the moment he was too occupied pressing the towel from before to his wound.  
The animal responded with an almost inaudible squeak, as if it still questioned the strange man in her territory. It approached a little further, then placed one of its tiny paws on Aikkas' cheek, tapping a few times, as if she checked whether or not he was even real.

 

''I think she likes me'' he commented when Eva arrived a few moments later, a few towels and what looked like a first aid kit in hands.

''Seems like it!'' at least that got a little smile out of her.

 

''So.'' she continued, Spirit promptly jumped off the headrest again.  
''How should we.. you know, go about it? I think you've got more experience with stuff like this than I do.''  
She opened the kit, putting it next to Aikka on the couch.

''First, I'd say we try to get that thing out.'' he already grit his teeth at the thought.  
''Then clean it, then try to close it somehow, and wrap it up with bandages.'' to be honest, he didnt like any of these thoughts.

''Alright.. let me see, then'' She grabbed the edges of his still partly unzipped suit to make him lean forward a little, helping him shift out of the sleeves slowly.   
Moving his right arm at all seemed to put him in a lot of discomfort, so she went on a little more carefully, just in case.

''I.. I think a tendon or two may be ripped. Could be I slammed into something when I crashed too, I dont remember..'' he explained, clenching his jaw as Eva took a closer look at the entry wound on his back. 

''Well.. I cant get to it from here, looks like we've got to push it through completely.'' 

Aikka nodded in response, swallowing harshly. That was going to be painful.

''Ok..Let's see.'' Eva decided it would be easiest to just position herself above him, on his lap more exactly, essentially straddling him. This would keep him in place as well, she thought. Being this close in literally /any/ other context would have felt incredibly awkward, but for now, she felt like it was the best solution.

She guided his hand off of the towel he was still pressing to the exit wound, throwing it away as soon as it was off. It was soaked through and dirty anyway. She took a new one to place just underneath were the pointed metal piece was sticking out of her friends' skin, just thick enough for her to grasp it. She felt he placed his now free hand on her thigh, probably just because it was convenient. Having his hand somewhere away from the wound would most likely be good as well, so he would not interfere, so she simply left it uncommented. 

''Okay.. pull it out in one swift motion, but dont rip at it.'' he already looked away, mentally preparing himself. 

''On 3?'' she put one hand on his chest, right in the middle, pressing him back a bit so she would not just drag him along when she pulled.  
She saw him nod, and figured it would be best to just start now before she could think about it too hard.

She grasped the metal piece with her free hand, as hard as she could.

''One... Two..''

 

She simply brushed over the last count and started pulling, keeping him steady with the other hand to the best of her ability.  
Eva really tried to keep the motion swift but steady, yet the badly supressed screams and his hardening grip on her thigh told her it was still really, really painful.

 

''Almost there..'' he heard her speak through his haze, pain searing throughout his whole arm, and the other way through his torso.   
He could not hold back one last scream when the shrapnel was finally, finally out.  
His heart beat in a frenzy, his arm felt sort of numb, but boiling hot at the same time. 

He noticed she had immediately pressed the fresh towel right onto the wound, it had probably started bleeding some more now. What he had not expected was the hug she pulled him into right after, still keeping one hand occupied with applying pressure to the wound.

''So sorry..'' she spoke to him, attempting to console her friend, just a little at least.

''Its.. its okay..'' he grunted in pain, taking deep, ragged breaths. His hand moved up her thigh, until it reached the small of her back, pulling her against him a little firmer.  
He buried his face in her shoulder as the pain ebbed through him, making him shiver. 

Eva wished to never, /never/ have to see her friend in such pain again. Especially not if she was technically the one inflicting it on him. She held him as tight as she could, hoping it would help through the worst of it somehow.

 

They both could not tell how long they had sat like that afterwards, but after a while, Eva felt confident enough to losen the embrace once more.

''I think that was the worst part, right?'' she asked, her voice a bit quieter than before.

''I.. I think so?'' he was a fair amount paler now, but the worst really seemed to be over.

''Okay... we should probably clean that out now, as you said..'' 

He simply gave a tired nod in response.


	5. The Tablets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nourasians react to medicine a lot differently than humans do. 
> 
> (A.k.a. ''In which Aikka gets high af off of cheap painkillers lmao'')
> 
> Also some more fluff, so enjoyyyyy~

''Tell me if it hurts too much, okay?'' 

The cloth had quickly become bloodstained. It wasnt exactly easy to really clear out such a deep stab, especially since it had went right through him. For now, Eva just hoped the bleeding would wash most of it out.

''I'll let you know.''  
He could tell she was not used to situations like these. That didnt mean she did badly, it was the complete opposite. Maybe, if anything, she was being a little too careful.  
''You're doing good, actually.''  
His gaze softened for a second, noticing the slight smirk on her face at the remark.

''Well, thanks, Prince.''  
At least she was not actively sitting on his lap anymore. As pale as he was at the moment, even the slightest blush would have been visible.

''Been wanting to ask though, what happened to that uhh.. crown-thing you had back in the day?''  
She almost wondered why it had taken her so long to notice. Maybe it was the hair that had been too distracting.

''Its safer to not be identifyable as a royal immediately these days.'' he explained before a sharp pain reminded him of his condition.  
''C..careful.'' he winced, biting his lip.

''That makes sense.'' Eva threw the cloth back into the bowl of water she had fetched a while before, a concerned look on her face as she noticed the pain her friend was still in.  
''So..'' she moved some hair off of his shoulder, tucking it back behind his ear so it would stay.  
''Do you think I can give you anything against it? I doubt I have anything that helps with more than a headache, but its something?''

''What do you mean?'' 

''Well, I dont know if medicine has the same effect on you as it has on me. We're different species, remember?''

''I doubt it.'' A quick look at his shoulder told him that at least the bleeding had mostly stopped.  
''But I have not heard of something being especially toxic to us, as far as I can recall.'' 

''Neither have I. But I have not heard of someone actually testing that, either.''  
She took a small piece of cotton from the kit, soaking it in some kind of desinfectant. The bottle was half-empty, Eva had used it quite frequently after she started working. Something would always cut or burn you, and the least thing she wanted was an infection, however small it would be.  
She tried to be careful, but she still noticed him tense when the solution hit his flesh.  
It had to be done, yet she pulled away when she heard him inhale sharply, his jaw visibly clenched shut.

''It.. its worth a try?'' the look in his eyes said it all.

With a nod, she rose once more, yet didnt even have to leave the room this time.  
Aikka could not see where exactly she got the little box of tablets from, but from the noise he concluded it must have been in one of the drawers of the small cabinet behind the couch.

''Here.'' she simply tossed the box to his lap before she took seat next to him.  
''I always keep them somewhere around here in case I get headaches. Machienes can be a bit loud over time.''

''I can imagine.''  
It actually took him no more than a few seconds to open the box with one hand. Getting the tablets out would be another thing, though.  
''Molly, I'm kind of..'' he gestured to his still unmoving right arm.

''Oh, right.'' Eva moved over to lend him a hand.  
''Take two for now, and we'll see how that works.'' 

He gave the strange little tablets in his hand a sceptical look, yet simply swallowed them as they were a few seconds later. It was a bit weird to see how small these things were here on earth. Would be amazing if these tiny things actually had effect. Earths medicine was known to be rather potent though, so he would just lean back and see.

''Want to wait until you feel something or should I just go on?'' Evas' voice ripped him from his thoughts.

''Better to get it done as soon as possible, I'd say.'' 

 

The wound on his back did not seem to be as sensitive, so for now she decided on getting that one desinfected.

''Tell me, though.'' she began, trying to at least kind of distract him while she gently dabbed the solution on it, ''How do you think you are going to get back? And wont you be in trouble for leaving, or something?''

''Well, I suppose there are ways to get back eventually. It will probably take a bit longer than getting here, but I think there are a few shortcuts I could use. Theres a lot of space-travelling going on in these parts of the galaxy.'' At least he did not have to see what was happening.  
''And I doubt I'd get in trouble. The last thing I saw was someone of the Royal Guard shoving me into this ship, telling me to go hide somewhere as far as possible away.''

Something was different. Maybe the pills were starting to work. It was not much, but he started feeling a bit dizzy.  
''And the first place I thought of was here.''

''Where'd you get that fancy space-suit from, though?''

''Theres always been a lot of trading on Nourasia. In my defense, I thought I'd never use it. But-'' he chuckled slightly, not exactly knowing why, ''I thought it looked neat.''

''It does, really.''  
From the kit, she took a clean, yet slightly small butterfly bandage. It was all she had, so it had to do. Either way, it should close the gash up until it stopped bleeding on its own.  
''Just a bit odd to see you dressed in it. Doesnt quite fit into the 'style' I've seen on you.''

''Is it? You should see the stuff I have at home.''

Eva felt he was starting to relax, his muscles much less tense under her fingers, even through the pressure she used to apply the bandages.

''Feel something yet?'' as she was done on his back, she moved over to his frontside, pressing him back against the couch to get a better angle.

''I think so?'' he shook his head a little. It sort of felt like he was getting drunk, but somehow skipped the part where it started slowly and was not quite noticable.

''Tell me if it gets too bad.'' 

 

The second round of desinfecting the wound under his collarbone seemed to go a lot smoother. Aikka didnt even flinch, had even rested his head back against the couchs' headrest, watching Eva from the corner of his eye.

It had started slowly, but there seemed to be a bigger effect now. He somehow still felt the pain from his shoulder, yet he just didnt seem to care anymore. It was like merely watching what was happening, but not actually having to feel the uncomfortable parts.  
His thoughts seemed to be too occupied with the young woman in front of him, anyway.

She was really a woman now, he thought, watching her closely as she moved to attach some more of these weird, tiny bandage-things.  
And what a woman she had become...  
He knew she went by the name of Eva now, but yet somehow, she was still Molly, at least somewhere in his mind. Would she be mad if he continued to call her that? Would she just see it as their 'thing'?  
It would be so nice to have a thing...

''You.. you said .. your name is Eva, right?'' he didnt notice how much he was slurring his words before it was already too late.

''Uh.. yes?'' she looked up for a brief second, Aikka had already predicted the confused look she was giving him. It was so hard to form sensible questions right now...

''I mean.. I uh.. Should I still not call you that?'' Goddammit.

''What?'' she placed the bandage to the side for a second to take his face in her hands and gently turn it to face her.

Man, she had always been stunning, but now it was just a whole other /level/..

''I'm calling you Molly.. Do you like it? Cause its not your name..''

Now she seemed to have gotten the question, judging by her giggle.

''You're high as a kite, are you?''

''I'm what as a what..?'' her hands on his face felt sooooo good right now..

''It's an earth thing. It just means its all kind of mushy in there.'' she explained calmly, tapping his forehead lightly at her last remark.

''Oh.. alright.'' He would ask her about it later. It made too little sense to him now.

''You're not in pain though?''  
The soft cussions of the headrest met the back of Aikkas head once more, he felt Evas fingers slip slowly off of his face, getting back to work on applying the bandages.

''No.. I think..''  
Was it just another side-effect of these tablets, or had she really always been that pretty?  
It had been so long...

''I.. never forgot you, you know..?'' he spoke, in more of a mumble, when she started wrapping thick cotton bandages around him.

''Good to know. After a while, I kind of thought you had.'' 

''How could I ever..'' he took the effort to lift his movable hand to her shoulder, she was still rather close after all. A little lean forward was enough disturbance to get her to look right into his eyes. Eva noticed his were overhung by the effects he was going through, yet they still seemed so.. honest, somehow.  
''..forget you? You, of all people..'' 

She brushed it off as drugged rambling, yet still had to lean in closer once more to wrap the bandage around his back for the last time, and once over his shoulder.  
Her fingers found the safety pin in the kit with ease, and when she was occupied with using it to seal the bandage in place, she felt the hand that had previously been on her shoulder comb gently, so, so gently, through the hair on the side of her head.

''God, youre so beautiful...'' merely a whisper at most, but she had understood clearly.  
His fingers played with the ends of her hair, there was something like curiosity in his gaze now, his eyebrows a little more concerned, as if he thought hard about something he just could not wrap his mind around completely. 

And she let him. It was.. weird, really. So many years since they last met, and still it was like they were just the same as back then. More seasoned now, perhaps, but still, it /felt/ the same.  
A big part of her felt like she should stop him. Even though he was probably not in his right mind, it had seemed like he had spoken the thruth... Yet he was the heir of a faraway planet. In their friendship it didnt matter, it never had, but if these really were his honest thoughts, then it could become a problem.

''Aikka.'' she took his hand, leading it away from herself. ''You should probably sleep.''

He sunk back against the couch, sighing heavily.  
''Hm-hm..'' 

Out of one of the leftover towels, Eva crafted a makeshift sling to put his right arm in. It couldnt just hang down all the time, and maybe it was a little more comfortable for him now when it did not tug at his shoulder continuously.

''Wake me if you need something.''

Why was watching her leave, be it only a few feet away to lay down on an unoccupied piece of couch, so hard all of a sudden?

''I've.. always missed you, you know?'' his breathing was slower now, but steady, relaxed.

''Dont say something you might regret when you're sober, Prince.'' she reminded. Laying down made her realized just how exhausted she was.

''No.. you dont understand.. I..''  
Before he could put together what he wanted to say, his eyes fluttered shut, like the whole energy that had been drained of him suddenly taking its toll, all at once.  
''I.. I've always..'' One last sigh, and he was out cold.

 

As long as she could hear he was still breathing, she was not worrying.  
''Goodnight, my friend.''


	6. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where it gets suuuper fluffy.  
> Enjoy!

When he opened his eyes the next morning, he was alone.  
Aikkas head still felt a little dizzy, overall the weird sensation had not quite left his system.  
Yet the spot on the couch where Eva had been the night before was empty, the room rather dark, the blinds all the way down and the door only open by a smidge.

As comfortable as the couch was, sleeping on it was not quite as relaxing as it had sounded. Slowly he shifted forward, grunting groggily. The pain from his arm had not subsided, still stinging harshly, like needles piercing right through his chest.  
Only then did he notice the small creature, rolled up tightly in his lap, lifting its head in a surprised, quick motion, making a small, chirrpuing sound. 

''Hey, little one..''  
The soft look in the animals' eyes instantly calmed him a little.  
Using his other hand, he gently pat over the cats' fur. It was a little long for a cat, but it was wonderfully silky and soft. Spirit instantly started purring at the attention, shifting herself against his hand some more.  
For a couple of minutes, Aikka just continued that. It was nice to see Evas' pet liked him, to his knowledge, cats were rather solitary animals, usually taking some time to really warm up to people. But this one seemed to have accepted him as an intruder (and pillow) just fine.

''Come on, lets go find your master, hm?'' he spoke, mainly to himself.  
The cat was small enough to easily lift with one hand and put her back down on the couch.  
At least getting up was not a problem, his legs were just fine. A little bruised from being thrown around perhaps, but nothing that impaired his walking-abilities.

Doing stuff with his non-dominant hand was another story, though. His right arm was still in the sling (and he would not dare move it from there anytime soon), but it felt weird to push open the door like that.

''Molly?'' he asked into the hallway as he made his way further, until he heard noises coming from what he assumed to be the kitchen.

''Yeah?'' she answered, coming to the doorframe to meet him halfway.  
''Back up already?'' she gave him a quick look over, deciding he was seemingly doing a little better, at least.

''Hm-hm.'' he followed her into the kitchen with a nod, noticing a strong smell of coffee, yet didnt see mugs. 

''Slept well? How do you feel?''

''Im pretty sore all over, and the stab kind of stings a lot. But I think I'm okay.''

''Not high anymore though?'' she turned over to the countertop, she was seemingly cutting some kind of fruit at the moment. She still remembered what he had been rambling about last night. The slight smirk on her face was inevidable.

''High?'' he leaned on the counter a little. Standing for so long was still a bit exhausting.

''Oh, I mean, not in your right mind. Like, being on drugs, of some sort. We call it being 'high'.'' 

''I see. Well, I dont know what exactly it did, but I think its not in effect anymore. Got a major headache, though.''

''Lets just hope it goes away eventually.''  
With a loud-ish whistle, she called for Spirit, who had been waiting at the doorstep.  
''Time for breakfast, girl.'' Eva stopped her work on the fruit to prepare a bowl of catfood.

 

''You said some pretty weird stuff last night though.'' she spoke as she was still at it.

He didnt respond immediately. But he remembered.  
''I... did. Sorry for that. It was probably really awkward for you..''  
He brushed some hair from his face. Maybe it was still the after-effects from the tablets, but he started feeling dizzy again, and the headache was still thrumming heavily. That could have come from the wound though, his entire shoulder was painful, the muscles sore and stiff, so it might have spread into his neck.

''Its nothing. You should hear what Stan talks about when hes drunk.'' she chuckled, placing the opened tin of catfood into the lowest drawer of her fridge.

''Well, I wasnt exactly..-''  
All of a sudden, he felt like his stomach twisted. He swallowed harshly, coughing into his hand.  
''Sorry, I-''

 

The next thing he remembered was being hunched over the sink, regurgitating whatever seemed to be left in his stomach.  
Eva had been as kind as to hold his hair back while he was at it.  
Now he really owed her. 

''S..so sorry..'' he rambled inbetween gags, intentionally not looking up to face her.

''Its alright.'' her free hand rubbed gentle circles between his shoulders, at least giving some kind of reassurance.  
It sure wasnt the way Eva had imagined their reunion would go. Not that she was not happy that they got to meet again eventually, but she had not imagined that after five years, the first thing the heir of the entire Nourasian planet would be doing at her place was furiously throw up into her sink. But it was funny somehow, if she thought about it. Being that vulnerable didnt fit him somehow, maybe it was just the irony of it all.  
''Its what we have garbage disposals for, hm?'' 

It took a few minutes until he was done, still leaning over the sink, his chest heaving with his raspy breath, the arm he leaned on shuddering under the hard grip he had on the countertop.  
He used the strengh he still had to support himself without leaning on his arm, using it to turn on the water to at least wash some of the bad taste from his mouth.

''Just.. sit down for a moment, alright?'' Eva suggested, getting a better grip on him already. He didnt struggle when she led him to a nearby chair.  
''Man, you really got me worrying..'' she stood before him, her hand on his uninjured shoulder, trying to look into his eyes. He could not fight it, returning the look she gave her.

''I'm sorry...''  
There was this look in his eyes again. Eva had seen it the night before. There was no real way to describe it, yet it looked honest. Pleading, almost. 

It was weird somehow, but they shared that look for a little longer than would have been normal.  
Her face was so close to his again, and yet it did not feel awkward, or like there was personal space being intruded.  
Did that silly little crush from back then really stick with her?

''What.. what I wanted to say..'' he began, looking down to the side, almost shyly.  
''I.. I meant what I said last night. I dont know what exactly the medicine did, but its what I thought.'' almost teasingly, his gaze met hers once more,  
''It only gave me the confidence to actually say it.'' his words were merely a whisper, she couldnt tell if he was regretting having told her or if it was simply hard for him, still his arm found its way around her waist, pulling her a little closer until her forehead touched his.

''Aikka.. You shouldnt-'' she knew it could not be this way. She looked down and closed her eyes, her arms slowly wrapping around his neck.  
''Its been so long...'' she felt him close in some more, until the tip of his nose touched hers.

''I know.'' 

''Your.. kingdom would not allow it, right?''

''No, it wouldnt.'' neither of them opened their eyes.

''So why do you tell me this? It will only make it harder..''

''Because it might be the only chance I get..''  
There was pain in his voice, and not only physical. At that moment, it truly hit Eva. He had not forgotten her. The opposite, in fact. She still didnt know what to think in the whirlpool of emotions she had been thrown in, but somehow, a part of her felt so, so at ease like this.  
So he had returned her feelings all along..  
She kept her eyes closed, as if opening them would somehow end the moment, ripping them apart again. For a while, the sound of his still slightly heaving breath was all she could hear.  
It all felt like a dream. He was there, he was with her now, his face just inches from hers. Five years started to feel like an eternity had passed, and simultaneously, it had only been a fleeting moment..

''If you... feel like this too, that is.'' his words broke the long silence, yet the grip of his arm around her remained.  
''Its okay if you dont..''

''I.. I dont know..'' the tip of her nose rubbed against his, she kept her gaze low.  
''Its all so.. sudden.'' at that, she opened her eyes.  
''I dont know if its the right thing to do... I havent seen you in so long.. And I dont know if doing anything now would be right? What if we cant see each other again?''

''We'll always find back to each other.'' his hand trailed off her back to gently take hold of hers, holding it between them before gently shifting it into a fist, losely resembling the fistbump they had shared, all the way back on Alwas.  
''Promise?''

And they laughed.  
More of a tired, lighthearted chuckle, but they were happy.  
Aikka simply put his arm around her once more, embracing her a lot tighter this time.  
A deep sigh ran through him when they settled.  
''Oh, Molly.. I know its not your name, but you'll always be my Molly.''  
He heard her giggling from where she had her face pressed to his chest.  
''If thats alright for you, of course. I can call you something else too, anything you wish.''  
Eva shifted a little until her face was gently nestled by the crook of his neck.  
''my princess..'' he added, a teasing smile on his face.  
No matter how much she had shrugged off that nickname when they were just chatting, hearing it in person made her cheeks flush a little. 

''You said your kingdom wont allow something like.. you know, this. Even if we dont know where its going.'' her eyes found his, seeking answers, yet somehow already knowing it was all still written in the stars.

''See it as you will..'' his hand gently caressed her back when his embrace losened,  
''Theres no one I'd rather lose everything for than you.'' It was true. Even back then, he had risked it all, a couple of times. Perhaps he had already known then, the years passed only making the realization more imparent.  
''Its always been like that..''  
Her chuckle in respond threw him off a little, but seeing her smile instantly melted his heart.

''Is making dramatic speeches like, a class back in prince-school or something? Youre too good at it.''


	7. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little more fluff, and also some big plans dawning on the horizon (if you squint). Im trying to write some more soon, but Im a bit busy and down sometimes lately haha enjoy the fluff tho

They decided it was best to settle down on the sofa once more. Eva had been as kind as to put water and some food onto the table before them, mostly fruit and a few mild things like crackers. For all they knew, human food was not particularily worthy of concern, but apart from water, none of it had been touched so far.

For the most time, they had only talked. About nothing in particular, but chit-chatting was better than silence.  
The room was slowly warming up since Eva had turned on the heaters, taking seat next to her friend on the couch once more.

''Didnt you tell me you had to work most of the time?'' Aikka noticed with a look on the clock, it was well after midday.

''Called in sick this morning. Gives us some time, and since Im pretty high up in that place, I dont need to explain most of it. I can also do some paperwork from here, actually.''

''Huh.'' he nodded, followed by a cheeky grin. ''Molly, Molly... As defiant as ever, hm?'' 

''Well, what should I have told them?'' she laughed, shuffling a little closer to him. ''Oh, I'm sorry, I wont come in today, an old friend of mine crashed into my place yesterday, had to pull an 8-inch nail out of his shoulder, it was crazy!'' she gestured wildly, making him join in on her laughter even more.  
''Hows it feeling, anyway? Still cant move the arm?'' 

''Well.. No, I think.'' he looked at it reluctantly, as if he tried concentrating on it a little more, before giving up after a few seconds.

''But its not numb or anything, is it?''

''Havent tried it yet.'' 

Eva carefully took hold of the limb, but looked at him before she really moved it. ''Mind if I..?''

''Go ahead.''  
Eva almost shook her head. She didnt know if she would have trusted another like that if she had a similar condition. It mustve still hurt a lot..

Slowly, she rid him of the makeshift sling that had held his arm steady, laying it down on his leg, holding it by the wrist so it wouldnt just slide off.  
''Well.. looks alright, as much as I can tell.''   
She placed her free hand on his shoulder, letting it trail down from there slowly.  
''Tell me if you feel something weird.''

''It hurts more towards the neck, but I think the arm isnt broken, at least.''

''But no numbness so far?'' 

''No, luckily.''

She felt him shudder a little when her fingers trailed over the inside of his forearm, making him sit a little more upright.

''Didnt think /you/ were ticklish, of all people.'' she giggled slightly, drawing small circles on his skin with the tip of her finger to tease even more.

''Im not.'' he insisted, yet couldnt hide the slight blush on his face. ''Its quite nice, actually.''

Eva shook her head. ''If you say so.''

She took his hand in hers next, feeling over the smaller muscles and bones carefully. Like the bigger ones in his arm, they felt warm, yet relaxed and unresponsive.

Aikka bit his tounge when she reached the ringfinger.  
''Thats not normal.'' he said, looking a little closer himself. ''Its.. numb.''   
Eva drew her thumb along it once more, as if wanting to make sure he wasnt mistaken.

''Really?'' she looked into his eyes briefly, then back to the hand that still rested in hers.

''Yes.. The fifth finger too.'' he noticed, seemingly a fair amount more agitated now.  
''Dammit.'' he rubbed at his temple with his working hand, brushing back some hair.

''Im... Sorry.'' Eva kept holding his head, trying to offer some kind of comfort at least.  
''Well.. If there are ligaments or tendons ripped, there mustve been enough force to, you know.. do some kind of damage on the nerves as well. Especially the smaller ones.''

''Youre right, I know..'' he sighed, looking up into her face again. She could see he was worrying. 

''The faster you get that fixed, the better your chance of fully healing are, I guess.'' 

A tired nod was all she got as an answer.   
She sat down next to him, close enough to lay his arm onto the edge where his thigh touched hers. Their fingers had intertwined, not that Aikka could have fought it actively. Her head was resting against his shoulder, careful not to hurt him. Evas free hand had found its way onto his forearm, running her fingers over his skin, only a little at first. He had mentioned it felt good, so maybe it would offer some comfort now.   
She stopped before she had even started really touching him, waiting for a reaction.

''No.. Go on, its.. nice, honestly.'' he whispered, letting his head lean against hers a little, feeling some strands of her spiky, wild hair brush against his face, tickling just enough to not be annoying.  
''If you want to, of course..'' 

She did, really. His skin was soft, touchable, even through the few light scars that dragged themselves over it here and there. She wondered where he got them from, but it wasnt too many, nor did they have a specific pattern. Probably shrapnel, she thought, but didnt feel like asking.   
''Do humans do that normally?'' he asked, gesturing lightly towards her touches.

''I dont know. It depends. Everyone has their own preferences, after all.''

''True.''

''Depends on whos doing it as well. I think us humans are a little picky in that department, anyway. We take a lot of time to warm up, and even then, we choose who can and cant touch us very carefully.''

''Seems like Nourasians and Humans arent that different, after all.'' he felt slight shivers run up his spine. Whatever Eva was doing, she was doing it really well.

''Were rather similar, if you think about it. I mean, there are so many other species that are build a lot differently.''

''Also true..'' he leaned in yet a little closer, close enough for Eva to feel how his ribcage expanded against her with every breath.   
''I hope I can really show you my kingdom one day. I think you would really like it.'' he kept his gaze on the hand she was holding.  
''But at the moment, I dont think its the same.. We were such peaceful people, now everyone is in armour. So many battlegrounds that used to be wide plains, or forrests. Now theres bodies everywhere.'' his voice went more and more quiet as he spoke, almost fearful.  
''They are going to crush us, sooner or later..''

''Dont say something like that.'' Eva shook her head. ''Ive seen what you can do, you wont just go down like that. If everything fails..'' in her head, it all started putting itself together, but it would be complicated, still. ''You may have a trumpcard in your sleeves, with our friendship. The Avatar is on our side, and if we decide to help..''

''Sounds too good to be true.'' Eva was sure she heard a little sarcastic laugh in his words.  
''But we cannot be sure. I have to find some way to get back, though, and soon.''

''You sure your arm can be treated there though? You know.. Properly?''

''Were not /that/ traditional, Molly..'' 

''Well, I havent been there, so I couldnt tell.'' She shifted a little to look up, right into his eyes. An idea formed in her head. Once again, she cursed her curiosity.  
''Id like to go there eventually too, though.'' 

''It would be too dangerous. I dont want to put you in harms way.''

''Im an adult, Aikka. We both are. I can decide for myself if I want to be in danger or not.'' 

''Oh Molly..'' he chuckled, ''Youre right. Youre still as stubborn as you were back then, though.''

''What would you do if I had come to you after so many years, all mangled, and meaning to head back into a war?''

''I would want to help, of course.''

''See? Well, were gonna have to see if we find a way thats still open, anyway. And if there is, there should also be a way back. I would want to at least stay until youre better, you know.''

''Youre too sweet.. But you have to be sure you want to come with me. Its really..bad, there. Its war. Its nothing like the race, its slaugther.''

''I know what war means.''

''Still, I dont want to guilt-trip you into anything! Id never forgive myself if something happened.''

''Relax, Aikka. I'll decide spontaneously anyway, you know me.'' she pulled her feet up onto the couch for comfort.  
''If there was only an easy way to get there.. We couldve met much sooner.. And we could go whenever we want.'' 

 

''Hmpf..'' he sighed, closing his eyes.  
''Im actually quite okay with being right here, right now..'' 

''What do you mean?''

''Its.. calm, somehow. Like time is standing still, and we can just.. talk, catch up, as long as we want. As if anything outside of here doesnt exist.''

''Many people say that during wintertime, though. The cold just seems to stop everything.''

''Maybe.''  
Eva felt him shift, then something else, on the top of the head.

''Did you just kiss me?''

''I think so. Its what humans do sometimes, right?'' 

''Well, I guess so, but...''

''You didnt like it?''

''Well..'' she blushed once more. Stupid teenage crushes. It was only a kiss on the head, probably with very minimal intention, even. Why did she still feel like her face was melting?  
''I did, but.. its not /that/ common, and very intimate..''

''Should I not do it anymore?''

''Uh.. Not if you dont want to immediately get de-throned upon arriving home, Prince!''

''I know.. But I think I'd have to kiss you on the lips to achieve that.''

''Then youd straight up get murdered!'' she laughed, ''Not even by your people, I think Dad would probably sense that, fling himself all the way through space just to snap your neck!''

For a good while, they both laughed wholeheartedly at the thought.  
''But.. Havent you had a special someone in all those years?'' Aikka asked when they had calmed down enough to talk.

''Nope.'' she shrugged her shoulders. ''Its hard to be close to someone but having to keep a huge secret from them at the same time.'' It made sense, really. ''You didnt either, I suppose?''

''There was no time. I dont have the choice to find someone either. Im going to have to live with whatever my parents bring home one day..'' 

''Oh, right.. Sorry, slipped my mind for a second. Well-'' she grabbed the two glasses of water from the table, giving one to Aikka.

''Toast on our sad-single-Oban-survivors club, I'd say.'', she swayed the glass from side to side slightly, indicating the usual procedure of a toast.  
Aikka seemed a little confused, moving in to touch the edge of her glass with his carefully.

''No nonono!'' Eva chimed in just before one glass touched the other, making him freeze in place.   
''You have to keep eye contact when the glasses touch, its tradition.''

''And.. what if we dont?'' he tilted his head to the side. Human traditions were so weird..

''Thats 7 years of bad sex.''

He laughed even harder at that.  
''What?!''

''Dont ask me, I didnt make the rule!'' 

Aikka used the back of his hand to wipe away some tears from the edge of his eyes from laughing too hard, before raising the glass once more.  
''Soo..'' he looked into her eyes, deeply this time, as the glasses met with a clank. ''On to 7 years of /good/ sex, Earth Princess!''


	8. The Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As nice as the time on Earth was, time to get back into the action.

Hours went by as if they were minutes.  
Eva had switched places on the couch at some point, resting comfortably against Aikkas un-injured side when the daylight started fading. The sun dissapeared so slowly that they didnt even notice it was getting a little dim at first.  
It had been a long time since she had last had the opportunity to just relax like that, someone elses arm around her, not having to worry about anything, at least for a while.

A couple more minutes in the dim athmosphere, and she was asleep.   
A memory rose in her mind, the more she drifted off, the clearer it got.   
It was a whole other story back then, but it wasnt the first time she could rest like this.  
She could almost feel the slow drift of the big stone palace they had inhabited, the cold air surrounding her, turning ever so slowly.   
Jordan had felt much differently, though. Perhaps not as hard or bony as Aikka did. The smell of smoke, gasoline and cheap aftershave had lingered around her back then, she remembered it still. Maybe back then she had not noticed it after sharing a room with him for so long, but in direct comparison to the vague hint of mint or cinnamon, it struck her again. 

A small smile found its way on her face. Jordan once (rather snarkily) stated the Prince ''smelled like a vegan''; maybe he wasnt even so far off. It did remind her of the smell of Kojis' place, even just a little. It had not been that big of a revelation when they had come back, Koji had been rather mallow after all, so resigning to kill animals wasnt that far off for him.

She wondered if Jordan was doing all right, though.. 

~~~

/''Molly..''/  
The raspy, yet familiar voice grabbed her attention as she drifted off further.  
She recognized it. It was distorted and a little far away, like a whisper, but it was /him/.  
/''I know its not much, but its the least I can do to help.''/  
What? What was he talking about?  
/''Stay safe, Molly. I cant always lend a hand, and I dare say you have a good set of watchful eyes on you already.''/  
She knew full well she was dreaming, yet it was not a lucid dream she could control.   
Not a word came out when she wanted to speak. Was it really him? But how?  
/''I hope we can meet again someday.''/ she swore she heard a slight giggle before the noise rumbled through her head one last time.  
/''And greet Princey from me.''/

 

''Molly?''   
Her eyes ripped open at the voice, coming from the real world this time.

''Sorry, fell asleep..'' she rubbed her tired eyes before looking around.

It was light in the room. Much lighter than she remembered it to have been before she passed out.  
''What? How long have I been out?!'' she sat up straight, looking at her clock.

''Thats... not the sun, I think.'' Aikka said, getting up from where he was sitting, walking over to the window, looking up.  
Eva followed right behind, a little wonky on her feet from having sat for so long.

She gasped at the view.  
So thats what he had meant with lending a hand..

 

''Come on, lets go!'' she took Aikkas hand, dragging him with herself. 

''What? We dont know where-''

''Its from Jordan! He just talked to me, at least I think so, I was dreaming, but.. It was him, I'm sure!'' she grabbed a spare gymbag (though she had not used it in a while) from where it was laying in the hallway, throwing it over her shoulder. At least a few pieces of fresh clothing were in there, it would last for a while, she supposed. From her room, she gathered her laptop, stuffing it in the bag as well before making her way for the door.

 

''Whoh..'' both of them watched in awe.   
It was just like back then.   
Right above them, somewhere up in the sky between the garage and Evas house, the egg-shaped module hovered, turning ever so slightly clock-wise, emitting a light right to where they were standing. It was a bit smaller than the ones that had taken them to Alwas and back home, but it was just the same kind.

''Lets go, quick!'' Eva ordered, wanting to step into the light, but was stopped by the strong grip on her wrist.  
''Whats the matter?'' she asked, turning to look at Aikka.

''Are you really sure you want to come with me? To /that/ place? A war?'' small clouds of steam formed around him as his breathig became more ragged.

''I already told you. I wont just leave you hanging. Not again.'' 

''But its dangerous!''

''I know!''

A few seconds of silence hung above them, but the young prince could already tell by the look in Evas eyes that she had made her descision. He knew her, and well enough to know that there was no way anyone could make her change her mind.

Without another word, he closed the distance between them, stepping into the light with her, one arm around her shoulder, as if he wanted to shield her. From the cold mostly, and maybe even from what was to come.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

From there, she remembered nothing. She couldnt tell how long they had been travelling, nor how she ended up where she was. There was hard ground under her, probably dust or sand. It mustve been somewhere outside, there was a slight breeze, carrying the faint hint of spices, wood and hay, and something else..  
There was smoke in it too. She knew the smell, she had taken it in a couple of times before, back on Alwas, and just recently on earth as well.  
Burning Crog ships. Their fuel had an unmistakable scent when it was ignited..

''Molly? Molly!''  
It was Aikkas voice.   
She felt something on the side of her face, patting her slightly.  
At that, she opened her eyes.  
He had really been it, grinning widely when she rose.  
''There we go!''   
He wasnt alone, either. There wer at least four other people around, looking at her wide-eyed. Other than what she would expected from the clothing she had seen on Aikka and Canaan on Oban, they were wearing tightly fitting, long-sleeved tops, most rather dark in colour, some even had some kind of armour on. Hard plates like the ones Aikka had on his shoulders back then, probably from the same or similar material. The pants werent as wide either, yet still a little baggy.

''What.. where am I?'' Eva asked, rubbing her temple when she was fully sitting.

At that, Aikka took his hand from her cheek.   
''Welcome on Nourasia, I'd say!'' his grin remained as he gestured around.  
''Passed out somewhere on the way down, I hope its not too bad...'' he explained.

''Ah, I see..'' these travels had that effect on her before, so it wasnt surprising. 

''There was a military base nearby though, so we were lucky. We're safe here for a while.''  
The people around kept quiet, giving them some more space when Aikka lend her a hand, pulling her up to her feet.

She turned to the few men (and women, to her surprise), clearing her throat.  
''Uhm.. hi?''

''Oh, dont worry. I already told them who you are.''

''He did.'', One of the men spoke, indicating a small bow as he did.  
''We welcome you on Nourasia as well, Earth Princess.''  
She honestly wanted to roll her eyes. Out of all people, why was /he/ the one to do pranks like these..  
Not that she honestly minded it.

''You can go back to your posts until the General arrives.'' Aikka told the small group, but he didnt order it too harshly.

''The General?'' Eva asked, taking another look around as the people went their way.  
It didnt really look like one would imagine as a 'military base', there were mostly tents or smaller cabins made from wood, people walking around here and there. Their armours were more colourful than the ones she was used to seeing on earth, as if each one was made for every individual soldier, at least to some extend. Eva even saw some of the mounts from where she was standing, a stall was just down the small passageway, giving her a look at the biggest praying mantises she had seen in her life. They were dark green in colour and almost as big as giraffes, their eyes big and bulgy. Some had distinct markings on them , she couldnt tell if it was their natural paintjob or something like a war-paint. There were other beetles as well, but she could not see them as clearly.

''Well, I already got to know they can treat my shoulder here, but I cant just leave you all alone. So I called in someone to keep you safe while I cant. Hes in charge of a lot of formations, including this base. I was lucky he just happened to be nearby.'' He had his arm in a proper sling already, and it looked like a new bandage had been applied as well.

They walked down the alley between some tents, giving her a chance to get her mind back on track for a second. So this was really happening now. It sure wasnt like she had imagined this planet to be, yet in some ways, it was exactly as she anticipated.  
''And youre sure we can trust him?''

At that, she noticed a change in the athmosphere.  
The chatter of the people on the walkways seemed to grow quieter, and she saw something approaching from afar.

''Ah, looks like hes here already.''

It got closer quickly, it didnt take long to make out just what she was seeing.  
The Generals' mount seemed to be a giant, dark scorpion.   
It slowed its gait when it reached the passage, clacking its huge claws nervously a few times. Its scales were almost pitch black, yet seemed to have a darker blue coloration on the top when the light hit it just right. Its overall body was as wide as a car, its back just around the height of a small-ish horse. Its stinger was about 10 feet up in the air in result though, maybe more.

Its rider seemed to be wearing what looked like a motorcycling helmet, the glass of the visor was dark enough to not grant a look at his face. The armour was the same dark colour of the mount, spikes on the plates of the riders' wide shoulders and arm-plating.   
Some golden highlights on the rim of each part, as well as a marking over the plates on his broad chest. Eva recognized it, it was the same logo the Nourasians had used in the race, maybe just a little altered.  
Other than what protected his arms and midriff, he did not seem to be wearing much armour, just like anyone else, it seemed. Simply a black long-sleeved top underneath it and lighter coloured pants. Except for two swords on his back, he didnt carry visible weapons.  
The scorpion walked carefully now, slowly, but it was still more than impressing.   
Whoever they passed at least lowered their head in respect. Whoever that General was, he mustve gathered a lot of honour amongst these people.

''Whoh..'' Eva couldnt help but stare at the huge animal before them as it came to a halt.  
She almost wanted to take a step back, somehow not trusting the huge stinger that was very well in close enough proximity to strike.

The man got off of his mount, the plates of his armour clanking together when he moved.  
He mustve been at least a foot taller than her, probably even more than that. He had broad shoulders, maybe exaggerated a little more by his clothing as well, yet he was rather slim around the middle, athletic, perhaps.   
In one swift motion, he pulled off the helmet.  
His eyes were a pure blue, darker than the blue of Aikkas eyes, and less round in form,   
piercing, the lines hard and strict like the rest of his face. A scar broke his left eyebrow, just adding to the menacing look.   
His hair was a little shorter than Aikkas, ending just between his shoulderblades, completely black and straight as grass, rather course from the looks of it.   
She would have imagined him to be older, though. The man seemed to be somewhere in his mid- to late twenties, but something about the look on his face already gave away that he was probably worn beyond his years.

Eva gulped. Aikka wanted /that/ guy to look after her?!

''I am sorry I could not come here sooner, my lord.''  
His voice was just as deep as she had expected it to be, just raspy enough to make Evas skin crawl a little. His words sounded sincere, yet he still gave her the perfect movie-villain vibes.

''Arrived a lot sooner than I expected, though.'' Aikka spoke, seemingly not intimidated, even just a little.

The man approached further, gesturing to his mount to stay in place. As he walked, Eva noticed something.  
For some reason, he was limping. As if a part of his right leg was inflexible, or perhaps paining him enough to impair his steps.  
He did not sink to his knee as a proper greeting to the Prince. He simply looked right at him, bowing forward a little, one arm before his chest.  
''I dont know how much you have heard about me, but I'd prefer not to kneel.'' 

''Ive heard a lot, actually. Youre lucky I am not my father, though.'' he held one hand towards the man, who gladly participated in the handshake.  
''May I introduce you-'' Aikka gestured towards the man, then over to Eva,   
''Eva 'Molly' Wei, Princess of Planet Earth, Winner of the Big Race of Oban.''

So she had a title now, though? Cool.

The man offered her a hand in return, looking down at her with a look in his eyes that made her blood freeze. A part of her feared shed get her hand crushed when she reluctantly agreed to the handshake, but was relieved to find out he was very capable of adjusting his grip to her.

''General Dirak Stroyrd, at your service.'' he bowed before her as well, his eyes looked even more snake-like when he attempted a calming smirk.   
It was about as calming as a Rottweiler growling, but he probably meant well.   
''So,'' he contunied, looking over to the prince once more, ''Why did you call me here?''

''Well, its easy. As you can see, my arm has gotten a little mangled when I escaped, and I need to get it fixed. But I dont want to leave my friend out in the open like this, so for the time being, I figured you would be the right one to keep an eye on her.''  
Before he could reply, Aikka took another step forward, looking a little more serious all of a sudden.  
''You must know that while she is here, shes under the same levels of protection as the royal family. If I find as much as a scratch on her, it could cost you your head.''

Even through the threat, the General did not seem distressed.  
He simply stared back at the Prince, as if he was still considering, though there was not really a choice.  
After a few seconds, his shoulders losened a bit as he bowed forward once more.

''As you wish..'' 

Man, this guy was seriously giving her the creeps..


	9. The General

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some good-to-know backstory.

Eva almost jumped when the Generals' gaze found her once more.

''So..'' he crossed his arms, getting a closer look at her.  
''You're from earth?'' something in his voice seemed a little too taunting for her taste.

''Uhm.. Yes, I am.''

''Hm..''   
He didnt add anything to it, turning slowly, pointing towards his mount.  
''I'd say the first thing we have to do is get you and Ekko to know each other. He's a little..'' he turned his hand a few times, like he was searching for the right words, ''Bad, with strangers.''

So was he telling her the huge murder-machiene in front of her didnt even like people? Seemed like a dangerous combination.

''But dont worry.'' he continued, looking at the animal fondly, ''He will not attack until I tell him to. Usually.''

''Usually?'' Eva looked up at the General, wide-eyed.

''Scorpions are hard to control. Hes the first to be tamed in 50 years, and only because I raised him since he hatched. He will not listen to another.''

''I see.''   
Eva turned to Aikka, smiling nervously.  
''Do you really think this is a good idea?'' she whispered, visibly unsettled when the creatured started moving as its rider approached.

''Why wouldnt it be?'' he answered. ''Dont worry, I have hear a lot of good things about Stroyrd. Hes the youngest in the General league, but hes got everything it takes. I would not trust anyone with you unless I wasnt 100 percent sure they are worthy.''

''You say that so easily..'' she stayed close to him for now.

 

''I can accompany you to the sickbay if you want to.'' the General spoke, taking the reins of his mount in one hand casually.  
The Prince nodded in response, nudging Eva gently as he started to approach.

The enormous animal hissed when the two strangers came closer, lowering itself a little, opening its claws as a warning.  
''Ekko..'' its master warned, stepping between to shield them. ''Its alright.''  
With another disgruntled hiss, the scorpion shook itself, swaying its stinger from side to side, tauntingly.  
''No.'' He raised one hand, tugging at the reins. ''Calm down.''  
He looked over his shoulder briefly. ''Dont come closer just yet, one second.''

He reached into his pockets, getting out what looked like a piece of dried meat.  
''Ekko.'' he repeated, raising the treat, gaining the mounts' attention.   
''Thats better.''   
He waited until the animal relaxed, then threw the treat onto the ground before it.   
In a matter of seconds, it was devoured. Evahad never seen how scorpions even ate, these teeth and hooks were a terrifying contraption, though.  
''Are we good?'' The man asked sarcastically, gaining a low grunt from his pet before turning his attention to the two visitors again.  
''Okay, I think its alright for now. But stay next to me, and dont get in front of him.''

Walking next to that thing still felt very, very wrong to her. At least Aikka was still between them, she thought. Yet she kept a close eye on it, just in case.  
The General kept quiet in the meantime, leading them through the passages and tents. As expected, he was walking rather slow. Maybe she would ask him about it sometime, when the opportunity was just right.

The medbay way a rather simple looking place, made mostly out of wooden walls. Out of all the 'buildings' in this base, it was the one that was best camouflaged, blending in with the trees around, and it was at the very edge of the base, too. It was logical, if there was an attack, it was the least likely to be hit directly.

''There we are.'' 

She had a bad feeling in her guts. 

''Dont worry, Molly.'' Aikka spoke, giving her a ressuring smile. ''Its gonna be alright. Im gonna be back on track in no time. Oh, I already got your bag to Stroyrds' place, too.''  
Oh, right. She knew she had forgotten something.

''Lets just hope I survive until then.'' a little sarcasm never hurt.

''Dont be silly, I told you whoever harms you is gonna end up with their head on a stake.''   
She would be lying if she said she didnt regret coming here, just a tiny little bit. It was probably just the first impression, it was a beautiful planet, but it was all a little scary to her, still.

Aikka gave her a pat on the shoulder, he would have probably hugged her normally, but they had to be more careful around here.

''Take care, Prince.'' she teased as she watched him slowly step into the building.

''Always, Princess.'' The wink was a little too much perhaps, but he had to add /something/.

~~~~

 

''So..'' Eva began, glancing up at the tall man when she walked next to him, but avoiding his eyes.

''Yes?'' her head snapped back forward when he tried returning the look.

''Uhm.. '' If she had ever experienced awkward silence, this was it.

''Dont be so unsettled.'' he simply stated, ''Im made of flesh and bone, just like you.''

''I uh, I can tell, thanks.''  
She noticed his jaw was clenched more tightly the further they walked. She just hoped he was not angry, whoever that anger might be aimed at.

''So, '' she began once more, having decided on a good question.  
''How long have you been doing this job?''

''Ive been trained for it since I was... 10 or 11, I think. Actively started serving at 18.''

''So its been how long now?''

''I'm 26, if thats what you're getting at. 27 in a few months.''

''Ah, I see.'' Her estimate had not been that far off, then.

''And what about you, if I may ask? Dare say you cant be older than 18, arent you?''

Did she really still look that young?

''Nope, gonna be 21 this year.''

''Close enough.''  
Not a man of many words, it seemed.

Before they could turn a corner, an unfamiliar voice called from behind.

''Ey! Buddy!''

Dirak turned his head, a sly grin on his face when he recognized the one who was intruding.

''Hey.'' he greeted the man who had approached in a fast-ish jog before stopping right in front of them. He was taller than Eva, yet a good amount shorter than the General. His hair was a pale blond, a darker streak on the right side of his head, braided back into a thin line.  
The two men engaged in a firm fistbump, the shorter one beaming brightly. His teeth were almost unnaturally white, making the smile all the more captivating. He seemed to be the exact opposite of his tall friend, friendliness just oozing out of him. Yet, a thick scar ran from the bridge of his nose underneath his left eye, ending on the edge of his cheek. Whatever had hit him there mustve been sharp, and it seemed to have cut deep.

''What are you doing here? Already done with your mapping?'' Dirak asked, laying the helmet he was still carrying onto one of Ekkos claws.

''Almost. But I just wanted to check in when I heard we had a guest for you to watch over!''  
His attention turned to Eva, who waved shyly.  
''Hi, You must be the Earth Princess everyones talking about.'' he simply took her hand, shaking it vigorously.  
''Im Farid Morriganis, Tactical Advisor, Messenger, Second-Degree Soldier and Emotional Vent-Dumpster for this guy.'' he pointed to Dirak briefly, who had his arms crossed, shaking his head with a doubtful huff.  
''Dont be scared of him, I've known the guy since we were like 12. Hes not as bad as you'd think, he just /looks/ like he eats children for breakfast.''

''You know I'm still here, right?'' The tall man raised an eyebrow, but couldnt hide a grin.

''Oh shut up for a second, I'm making a first impression here.''  
Farid took a closer look at the strange woman in front of him, as if he had never seen a human before.  
''Whats your name though? 'Princess' must be a joke, Earth doesnt have that anymore, right?''  
It was kind of refreshing to have someone that bubbly in front of her, somehow.

''Uh, Eva Wei. But Molly is fine as well.''

''How do you get 'Molly' From 'Eva Wei'?'' He had his hands at his sides, leaning more onto one leg.

''Its.. a long story. But yeah, both are fine.''

''I see.'' he looked up to Dirak once more, visibly delighted.  
''Funny thing, isnt she?'' his attention snapped back to Eva quickly.  
''Nice clothes though, looks cute. Its rare to see stuff like that in this part of the Galaxy. But well, I'd say I'll be on my way, gotta get some stuff finished before tomorrow.''   
He shook Evas' hand once more, then gave the General a firm whack against the arm, which looked rather painful, but didnt stir him in the slightest.  
''Gotcha! Well, 'til we meet again, Molly from earth! And buddy, '' he looked up to him quickly as he was already practically running in the other direction, ''Cut back on the resting-bitch-face, you know that scares people!''

Eva looked back to Dirak, a little more relaxed now.  
''Friend of yours, I suppose?''

He nodded, taking hold of Ekkos reigns once more.  
''My eldest friend, too. Hes a little.. well, youve seen him, but hes a good person.''

''And he has a mount too?''

''Yes, one of the Mantises. Quirky little thing, just like him.''  
They continued their stroll down the alley, ending at what looked like another stall, but it was empty.  
Ekko seemed to know that this was his place to stay, walking inside without trouble. 

~~~~~

''Its getting late.'' Dirak noticed with a glance towards the sky.  
''You should get some rest, its been a long journey.''

She really felt a little exhausted, so she oblieged, following him a few streets further until he opened the door of a rather small wooden hut, almost at the very edge of the forrest. Its sides were almost all grown over by ferns and ivy.   
He let her in first, closing the door behind himself.  
It was a rather small building, it looked like it only held the essentials, logically. No decorations or anything of the sort. The bed in the corner of the second room didnt even look very comfortable.   
Evas' gymbag layed on a chair in the first room, which had not much else than said chair, a sink, a few cupboards and the oldest, saddest looking couch she had seen in her life.

The General went over to a hook on the wall near the door, unclasping some hinges on his armour. One by one, he took off the plates.  
When he was only in the long-sleeve top and the baggy pants, he somehow looked less intimidating.  
She felt bad for staring, but it was interesting in a way.  
He had a good amount of muscle, especially on his back and arms, yet he looked much thinner like that. Almost a little too thin, even, she could nearly see the individual ribs when he breathed in too much.

She went through her bag to sort out some fresh clothes, but glanced over to him every now and then.   
When his armour hung neatly by the hook, he made his way to one of the drawers, taking out a little box, having some trouble fidgeting it open with his large hands before picking out a matchstick, igniting it with a firm rush over the boxs' edge.  
Only then did she notice the little vase-like thing that was standing on top of the drawers. Some sort of smoke-sticks were standing inside it, 3 all in all, poking out in some directions, looking like they only had been burned a little bit so far.   
He flicked the burned-out match away when the sticks started burning ever so slightly, continuing to pull down the collar of his top a little, fishing for something, then pulling some kind of simplistic necklace out, taking it off with one hand.  
Quickly, he bound it around the vase. There was not more than a bunch of stones, maybe four or five, and a small feather on it.  
That sure caught Evas' curiosity.

 

The man looked at the little altar in silence for a few seconds, then turning to walk over to the chair.  
With an exhausted, deep sigh, he sat down, burying his face in his hands, rubbing his temples.  
''Goddammit..'' he mumbled, taking one hand off to scratch over his right knee. So he had been in pain.  
Through the strands of dark hair that hung over his face, he looked at Eva suddenly.  
''Im sorry, just give me a minute..''  
He positioned his leg a little more comfortably, biting his lip when he leaned back to sit more upright.

''Whats the matter?'' Eva had gathered all her confidence to ask, but the situation seemed fitting anyway.

As if he had not expected it, he returned her look, a little baffled at first, but then a weak smile stole its way onto his harsh face, followed by a small cackling, laugh. Farid had been right, something about him kept being unsettling, even when he laughed.

''Just some old wounds, its nothing.''

''Well, what happened? If I may ask.''

''You can ask whatever you want, not like I can deny you an answer..''  
Carefully, he pulled the pant leg up over his knee, revealing a long, ugly scar, winding itself right by the side of the joint.  
''Even if I'm a General, I have to run straight into battle just the same. I would lie if I said I got that one because I was being reckless, I was just straight up ambushed, got separated from Ekko by accident. A Crog managed to grab me by the calf, and the momentum of flinging me around broke the bone in three places, the one in the upper leg in two, and dislocated the joint.''  
Eva held her breath. He spoke as if he was reading the morning news, but what he said sounded so, so horrible.  
''Unfortunately, the motherfucker threw me right against the rubble of some of their ships, hit it so hard it broke my hip, gaining me this one right here.'' he pulled up the rim of his top which had been tucked into his pants, pointing towards another scar, just as wide and disgusting looking as the first one, right where the skin stretched itself over the bone of his hip over the right leg, starting just below the last muscle on his stomach. Seemed to be his bad side, definately.  
''Had to be held together by metal for /ages/, that thing..''  
Eva nodded, but she didnt know what to say just yet.  
''The leg was mangled too badly to be fixed just like that, so they put in a new joint, metal to my knowledge. Its not exactly pleasant, but some days are better than others. The nerves were too damaged in the process, so I cant really feel anything below the knee. Ive noticed you took note of my limping earlier.''

''Yeah, sorry for that..''

''Dont be. Its good to be observant. And it isnt really subtle, is it?'' slowly, she started to get used to his devillish smiles.  
''But theres one more thing that might be interesting.''  
Eva tilted her head. She almost didnt want to hear it, the stories of what hes been through in this war were gruesome enough so far.  
''In the same incident that destroyed my leg, me and a couple of other soldiers were.. captured.''   
Eva gulped. She could only imagine what it must have been like. The Crogs were cruel, and blind in their obsession for power. From what she knew, they rarely took 'prisoners', preferring a good old-fashioned slaughter for the most part.  
''I could not let them harm any of the soldiers under my command, so I ended up with this.'' he lifted his shirt a little further.

She could not hold back a small, choked gasp at the sight.   
His entire stomach was covered in scar tissue, burns, if she had to guess. Some areas were a little more sunken in than others, like whatever burned im had actively eaten or melted away his flesh.  
''I didnt really have information to spill, but I suppose you know how stubborn they are. I dont know exactly what it was they poured over me, but it was boiling. I think it was oil or something, but it doesnt really matter.'' he covered the scar again, losening his shoulders before he leaned back completely against the backrest of the chair.  
''I was lucky we were rescued soon after. But I'd lie if I said Im not less than I used to be. I am only useful in a fight when I'm with Ekko, if we get separated, I'm doomed. I just thought you should know when you are under my care, just so you would not have...'' he raised an eyebrow, looking rather unimpressed. ''Unrealistic expectations.'' 

 

''Oh..'' Eva finally spoke, biting her lip nervously. ''Im.. uh.. very sorry for what happened to you.'' off to a good start.. ''From what I've seen, the people dont seem to care, though. Theyre either super scared, or they must really look up to you.''

Another of his bone-chilling laughs filled the room with a low rumble.  
''You think? Well, I suppose it must be true, then.''  
He shrugged his shoulders, the pain seemed to slowly ebb off.   
''Tell me more about yourself, though. If Im going to protect you, it doesnt hurt to know who it is that I have to bite the bullet for if things go wrong. First of all, how the hell did you manage becoming friends with the Prince?''

Good question.  
''So.. We met at the Race, basically. Did your people know about it when it happened? Ours didnt.''

''We knew, but not exactly in detail. We knew that if we won, we would be free, and if we didnt, we would be slaves forever.''

''Oh. Well.. The race took place on two Planets, we met pretty early on. I became my teams pilot by accident, but I already kind of knew him then, we talked once or twice. All coincidence, really. The places we stayed at were pretty close together, too.''

The General listened, the silence didnt feel as biting anymore when he took a few seconds to think.  
''...Looked absolutely ridiculous back then, didnt he?'' he asked with a smirk.

''Hm?'' Eva raised her eyebrows in surprise. Sure, Dirak didnt seem like the type of guy to be scared of anyone, but it was a royal he was talking about!

''You know, with the hair and stuff.'' he clarified, pointing towards the back of his own head.  
It was reassuring to see him joke like that, though.

''Well, I mean.. I thought he was kind of cute, actually..''

Dirak laughed even more, raising one hand in front of his mouth in modesty.  
''Cute?!''   
His cacking giggles still sounded rather vicious to her, however.

''Well, I was young and everyone of my team was being dickish at the time, dont blame me!''

He surpressed the laughs, trying to be serious once more.  
''And your family was with you?''

''No.. Well, yes, actually, sort of. My dad was there, but he didnt /know/ he was my dad, my mom could not be there because she died when I was little... Its a complicated story.''

''Oh. Sorry for that.'' he nodded slighty, ''But I suppose you got that all figured out now?''

''I do, thankfully.'' She crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe casually,   
''How 'bout you though? Any family around?''

''Well..'' he sighed, putting his elbow on the chairs' armrest, propping his hand against his face, ''Also a complicated story, just not all figured out. I have a brother, but I dont really feel like talking about my parents. They are a bit.. cold, to say the least.''   
He pointed over to the little vase on the drawer near the door.

 

''I think you noticed that already. Its for my wife.'' Suddenly, there seemed to be more sadness in his eyes. ''And my children..''

''What happened to them?'' she asked before she could think about it too much.

''I.. cant really tell you the whole story, but..'' he looked away, his hand rubbing at his temple,   
''Theyre dead.''

''The Crogs..?''

''No. Humans.''


	10. The Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She had to break it to him eventually.

Eva simply stood there, wondering if her ears had tricked her.  
''Humans?''

The man nodded slowly, keeping his gaze low. He bit his lip so he would not speak, one fist clenched tightly around the chairs' armrest.

''But.. How?'' Eva asked carefully, looking at the little altar, thin streams of smoke twirling through the air above the dimly glowing sticks.  
''Humans havent..''

''I wish not to speak of it, Earth Princess.''   
The last words almost sounded like a threat. Yet he didnt sound angry, or furious, like she had expected. He just sounded very, very sad.  
''I will not hold you accountable for it, dont worry. I get that not everyone of you is evil. But that doesnt make it less true.''  
He started scratching over his knee once more, the aches seemingly not gone all the way.

''Oh.. Okay. Then I wont ask you about it.''   
Maybe she could ask Farid next time she met him. He probably knew.

''Thank you.''  
He got up once more, mostly by using his arms, pushing himself to his feet. As weak as his leg was, his arms seemed to make up for it, thick muscles rippling underneath the fabric.  
''You are probably hungry, right?''

At least they were switching the subject.  
''Uhm.. I guess so?'' She really could take something to eat right now. At the thought, some curiosity rose in her mind. Nourasians probably had a lot of weird food, their culture was a lot different from hers. Then again, how would she be able to tell if whatever she was about to try was even edible for her?   
Medicine had a wildly different effect on their species, after all.

''I dont really have much around, but uhh..'' It took him some effort to walk over to one of the cupboards, taking out what looked like a very old single stove plate.   
''I know, its probably ancient for you, but it does its job. I think we even copy-cated that thing from your people. Its pretty convenient after all.''   
The thing didnt seem to have an electrical outlet, though.   
Before Eva could even question it, Dirak lowered himself a little more to look at it from a few angles, eyebrows furrowed in thought.   
''How did that thing.. ah!'' He seemed to have remembered quickly, standing straight once more, clearing his throat. 

He pulled the glove off of his right hand, putting it in his pocket before holding his hand next to the weird construction.  
It took a few tries, but eventually a few sparks flew when he snapped his fingers.  
Until now, Eva had thought all of the nourasian magic required spoken spells. Seemingly, she had been wrong.  
The sparks ignited the plate, it looked like one of those traditional gas-powered stovetops her father still had. 

''Whoh!'' she looked at it in awe. The thought of magic and technology combining had been in the back of her head for some time, so it was all the more exiting to see it was very much already a thing.

''Yeah, I know. About as much magic as I can do, sorry.''

''No, no its fine! This is really cool, do you know how it works?''

''Uh.. i have to really concentrate on the thought and then I-''

''No, I meant the.. that thing, there.'' she pointed at the still burning stove.

''Oh. Well, no, not really. Im a General, not an engineer.

''I see.'' she scratched the back of her head. She would /definately/ look around for more technology later.

''So.. Do you like-'' he looked into the air, gesturing around, seemingly searching for a word.  
''Potatoes! Yes, I think it was potatoes. Root from a plant, rather unintresting in flavour, slightly orange.. That was what the humans call it, right?. I have something like that here, in the end it makes something like... Uhm.. Like little fried.. things.. cakes.. pan.. pancakes! But not sweet.''

''Just go ahead, Im up for anything as long as it doesnt poison me.''

''It wont. And if it does, then it wasnt my fault, then you are just allergic. But its uncommon, so dont worry.''  
He got a knife from his belt, it had remained hidden until now. Eva nearly jumped when he threw it upward, making it land tip-first on the wooden surface of the counter.  
''Eve, could you be so kind and get the things from..'' he pointed towards a drawer on the other side of the room, ''There? One of the little red things as well, you'll see when youre there.''

''Its Eva.''

''Right, sorry.'' He got a fancy-looking bowl from the counter he was standing in front of, as well as a metal plate he put on the fire. 

There was not much in the drawer he had send her to, exept for the biggest 'potatoes' ever, a small bag of what looked like an assortion of nuts and berries (though she had never seen pale blue raspberries or slightly purple cashews before), and a handful of red things, reminding her an awful lot of cherry tomatoes. They felt much firmer when she picked one up, though. 

She carried the vegetables over to Dirak, who had leaned against the counter, waiting, until she had succesfully placed each one somewhere next to him.

''So.'' He began, ''Do you wanna help or do you want to like.. take a shower or take a nap until I get it ready?''

''A shower would be nice, actually.'' 

''Alright. If you wanna take a proper shower Im afraid you will have to use the ones all female soldiers use, we only have a few in the camp. Or you just see how far you get with the sink in the bedroom.'' 

''I think I'll go for the bedroom then. Dont really feel like getting out today anymore.''  
It was getting rather dim outside after all, and it had been a rather exiting day already. For now, she really just wanted to rest.

''Go ahead, then. Towels are behind the mirror.''

~~~~~

It had taken her a while to really get behind the concept of the mirror-shelf, but soon enough she had her head under a steady stream of cold water, rubbing some soap into her hair, amazed by the sheer amount of dust and sand that had managed to get caught in there. How long had she been laying around before she had woken up?!

The slight cool of the water felt really good, though. Normally, she was more of the hot-shower-type, but this was something different.   
The thought quickly reverted a little when a single ice-cold drop managed running down her back, though. At least she was a little more awake, now.  
Luckily, there were some comfortable clothes in her gymbag to change into, she discovered. A loose-fitting Band-Shirt (a christmas gift her father got her some years back) and a new pair of shorts seemed just fitting for now.

She should probably call her dad, she remembered..  
At least her laptop still had the long-range modem installed, the same kind that had granted a steady connection from Oban back to Earth. About double the distance, so it should work just fine. 

Eva got the small laptop out of her bag, putting it on the windowstill before opening it.   
Quickly, she typed in a few commands so it would start scanning, getting a connection to her modem at home.  
It took a while longer than expected, but it worked.  
Immediately, she was confronted with the inevidable.  
57 missed calls and 93 messages from Dad.

She gulped. So her dissapearance had not gone unnoticed..  
Slowly, she typed in her fathers number.   
It didnt even ring 3 times before the call was answered, a distressed yell-mumble already greeting her on the other end of the line.

''Eva! Where are you! What the hell happened, what-''

''Dad, dad its alright.'' she tried to explain, secretly a bit glad that they were not using the video-feed at the moment.  
''Uhm.. you remember the thing Aikka told me before we left /back then/..''

''Eva, please dont tell me that you're..''

''Sorry, I am. I couldnt just leave him hanging!''

''So you just decided to go on a little trip 2 LIGHTYEARS FROM HOME?'' 

''Dad calm down, its all okay. Jordan helped us.''

''What do you mean 'us'? And what does Jordan have to do with it?!''

''Well first Aikka came to my place, had to seek shelter from the Crogs..''  
The burnig silence even reached her through the phone. Aikka was /so/ dead the next time he met Don.  
''And then Jordan helped us get back to Nourasia. You know, one of these space-ships that got us to Oban and back.''

''Why did you even WANT to get there now?'' 

''Well, theyve been having trouble with the Crogs for five years since they betrayed them by helping us in the race, so I just... I couldnt leave him hanging, hes a friend!''

''Eva..'' she knew he really wanted to be mad, but even he realized she was a little too old to be scolded like that.  
''Dont you think that was a rather ...rushed descision?''

''Yeah, probably! But I needed to see for myself. I thought that maybe I could help, something like that. Pay back a long-overdue dept, sort of. I got them into this mess after all. Kind of. And dont you think Jordan wouldnt have helped if it didnt serve /some/ kind of purpose?''

''Still. Do you know how hard it was to explain why you were suddenly just gone from one day to another? And there was a Crog ship found in a forrest nearby, your friend hasnt been too good at hiding it seems. The people are gonna panic once they-''

''No, he came here in that. Malfunctioned, so it crashed into the hillside.''

''Damn..'' he muttered, almost inaudible.   
''Any idea how youre gonna come back though, young lady?''

''No. I'll see where I'll go from here, but.. I wont just abandon them like this! I want to help them, no one should live in war..''

''WAR?!'' she heard her fathers hand hit the surface of his desk.  
'' 'War' is a little more serious than 'some trouble with the Crogs', Eva!'' his voice rumbled, equally filled with rage and fear. ''Eva, you cant stay there, its too dangerous! You know what happened to Earth when-''

''Yes, yes I know. Thats why I cant just leave it like this!'' she had started fidgeting with the edge of the towel that was draped over her shoulders.  
''Please, just understand! Hes my friend, and because of what happened back then, this planet is dying! You know me, I feel responsible for it. He betrayed the Crogs to help me and Jordan, remember?''

''Right, right..'' he sighed, Eva had the mental imagine of him leaning his head into his hands like he always did when he was worrying and angry. He was probably doing that at the moment, anyway.  
''Never liked that fucking bloke, goddamnit..'' even though he was probably just mumbling to himself, it had been just loud enough to be caught by the mics.

''Im still listening, dad.''

''What? Hes the reason youre on a planet thats at war with the most dangerous alien race in the known cosmos!''

''I get it, dad, but please dont worry for now. Im being protected, Im safe. I just have to figure out a way to help somehow..''

 

''Maybe.. maybe we can figure something out.'' he sounded like he regretted every word, but at least he seemed to understand her now.

''Ok, great! How about I call you tomorrow, and we see how things are then?''

''Yes, yes alright.'' Another sigh. ''Man, it was so much easier when you had to listen to what I told you..''

''Mostly.''

''Mostly. Youre just like your mother in that department..''   
Eva leaned in a little closer to the laptop.   
''No one can tame you. Sadly.''

''Dont say that now, you were the one always praising me for my assertiveness!''

''Well.. Lets just.. concentrate on figuring this out, okay? I'll talk to you tomorrow.''

''Okay, great!'' some of the stress that had build up seemed to dismantle, at least.

''Take care of yourself, Eva.''

''You too. And dont worry so much. Its gonna be okay, promise!''

~~~~~

Eva was visibly exhausted when she stepped back out of the bedroom once more.   
The stove had been turned off, a plate with some food vaguely resembling rough, shredded-potato pancakes standing next to it.

''Talked to your father?''

Eva jumped at the sudden voice, not having noticed that Dirak had taken a seat on the couch.   
He took up most of the space, the piece of furniture barely long enough for him, a good potion of his legs hanging over the edge of one side while his head could rest on the other. He had an old book on his chest, simply layed down on it to look up to Eva.

''Sorry, didnt wanna scare you.'' he laughed, ''Though it is tempting. Always that easily frightened?''

''Im not!'' she crossed her arms, raising her chin mockingly. ''Youre just scary.''

''Guess so. Food is on the counter, help yourself.'' 

She took a closer look at the unfamiliar things. The consistency looked like a big, thin hashbrown, about the size of the palm of her hand.

''And where do you keep the plates and forks and stuff?''

''Oh, you just roll these up and go ahead. Its a common on-the-go food, used to make these all the time when I was at the Academy. Everyone did.''

''Well, if you say so..''  
They were still a little hot to the touch, but not as greasy as Eva had thought. Not greasy at all in fact, but still a little crisp around the edges.   
Almost shyly, she took the tiniest bite possible.

It really tasted a little like potato, yet a sweet potato was probably the closest match taste-wise. A little hint of something like celery or onion in there as well, and a very slight note of some kind of.. cheese?  
It was better than she had anticipated. Earth would be out of their minds about this, a potato that tasted a little cheesy, it was a recipe for sucess.   
Unless Earth lived out its tendency of robbing and exploiting foreign cultures though.. She would keep it to herself for the time being.

''This is good!'' she announced, taking another bite, beaming brightly. It was just the thing she needed right now.

''You think? I didnt season it too hard, I heard your tastebuds are a little different from ours. But glad to know you like it.''   
He aimed his concentration at the book once more.  
''As I said, just help yourself.''

''What about you?''

''I already ate, dont worry. I'll be here if you need something.''

''Dont you wanna go to bed though? You cant sleep on the couch like that..''

''I can and I will. You need it more than I do, and its common around here to grant the visitor the best bed.''

''You need a bigger couch though. Youre gonna be super sore tomorrow.''

''I would be if I slept on the bed, too.'' he brushed back a strand of hair that had gotten in his face, then turned over the page he had been reading.  
''Just take it, its alright.''

''Well, then..''  
She simply ate some more of the pseudo-pancakes in the living room, looking out into the darkness through the small window. Except for her chewing, the only sound was the occasional paper crackling when a page was being turned. 

She had pictured her first stay here a lot differently, somehow.   
It was nice at the moment, yet still all so new. It was unfamiliar, perhaps a bit strange, but it was the most exiting thing she had done in a long time.  
She just hoped that there was a way for her to help..  
All of this was too precious to be lost, eradicated by the wrath of the Crogs. There was so much more she wanted to see, and the thought that it could all be gone any second sure scared her a bit.  
One could only wait and see how it went from here.

In close proximity of the General, she did not exactly feel vulnerable, though. He was probably not in his best form, but she doubted anyone would just attack someone like him.  
Aikka had been right after all. He was probably the best one for the job, at least in this part of the planet. Something about him still unsettled her a bit, but having talked had already helped a little.   
Maybe it was really just his looks, Eva thought. Perhaps what he had seen over the years had made him cold. But she felt safe here, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

''Well..'' she wandered over to the bedroom door slowly, ''Im gonna hit the hay.''

''Good night, then.'' he didnt lift his eyes from the pages.

''Yeah, good night. And thanks for everything so far.''

''Its nothing.''

 

She took her bag from where she had thrown it on the covers, pushing it to the end of the bed.   
The covers smelled fresh, like they had just been washed.   
It was just cold enough outside to make laying under the blanket okay, and before she could really notice, she fell asleep, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up with her.


	11. The First Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back from hiatus!!!!   
> Some local specialties, as well as a little bit more backstory, cause why not.  
> Enjoy~

The night had been dreamless, yet Eva had managed to get just enough sleep to feel vaguely rested when she woke up.   
It could not have been too late, there was only a little bit of gentle light illuminating the room. Then again, she couldnt know if day- and nightcylces were different around here. 

She sat on the edge of the bed for a few moments, just looking around, taking in the small moment of silence.   
The air in the small bedroom had gotten a bit stale overnight, a few specks of dust danced in the rays of sun coming from the window. It felt melancholic somehow. Yesterday had felt so unreal, like a daydream or a hazy runaway thought, just a bit too weird to feel like it was really happening. 

But she was here. Lightyears away from home. She could not know when she would return. She only hoped she could stay long enough, just long enough to find a way to help.  
If she would not, this world would die. There was no doubt about it in her mind. Sooner or later, it would crumble under the forces of the Crogs, their bombs and lasers destroying anything and everything that dared to stand in their ways, until there was nothing left.   
She watched the dust swirl slowly through the air, not following a pattern or a form, just floating, until the edge of the light made parts of it dissapear.   
Just like it would at home.  
It was so weird in a way. These two planets existing, so far apart from each other, so different by the looks of it, and yet, life still felt the same. There was air to breathe, dust, water,... Even the people looked a lot more similar to her own than most of what else was living in the known cosmos.   
There was no way in hell she would let it die. At least not further than it had already. 

She got up to open the window, fresh air streaming in immediately.   
A change of clothes, a deep breath, and she considered herself ready to face the day. 

Carefully, she opened the door to step into the 'living room'.  
To her surprise, it was the guy from yesterday that greeted her, the same big, friendly smile on his face.

''Good morning, have you slept well?'' he walked over to shake her hand. For some reason, it didnt really feel formal when he did it.

''I guess so.'' she tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear. There hadnt really been time to pack, so a brush was definately not among the things she had at the moment.

''You must be hungry, right? Youre lucky, the big fella got you something nice before he headed out.'' Farid pointed to a small-ish paper bag on the counter next to the sink, a little piece of paper attached to it. If she could see it right from where she was standing, there was only ''BREAKFAST'' written on it, nothing else. Well, seemed like him. 

''Yeah, that sound good actually. Where is he though?''

''Well, he's in charge here. Hes got a lot of stuff to do, for example plan the next point of attack and organize his troops. It should not take long today though, I mean, hes got a guest to take care of. But hey, in the meantime I get to hang out with you, thats something, right?'' he shrugged his shoulders, still grinning slightly.

''I see. Im not complaining, I mean, hes nice but.. youre right about his face somehow.'' she returned the smile, leaning against the doorframe.

''I know, right? But he was nice to you yesterday, was he?'' Farid asked, a little concern ringing in his voice.

''Yes, yes he was. Seems to loosen up a little when hes not around people. Made me some dinner, even. Told me about his leg and all that when I asked, too.''

''Good, good. Just wanted to make sure he doesnt leave you terrified or something.''

''Eh, I think I can hold my own. But thanks for asking.''   
With that, she walked over to the counter to finally take a closer look at the bag.

Almost carefully, she took out the first thing she felt when she reached into it, eyeing it closely. Some kind of baked pastry, most likely filled, but other than that, a little plain on the outside.

''Ah, thats a local thing. I think bread is the closes thing you could compare the dough to, and its filled with fruit. I dont think I can explain these closer though, the fruits we have are crazy compared to yours.'' 

Eva simply took a bite before thinking too much.  
Just as she expected, it tasted slightly sweet, like fruit-pastries usually did, a little sour as well. Not as sweet as she remembered storebought things to be though, it seemed to have been from some kind of bakery for sure, and it was fresh, just a little bit warm still. The thing that struck her most about it was the brightly coloured filling. The base seemed to be translucent and red, like a cherry pie filling, with even more brightly coloured berries sprinkled throughout, almost looking toxic in their tones of blue, white, green and orange.

''Looks cool, right?'' Farid spoke on, ''We call those 'Marble-Berries', roughly translated. Because theyre so colourful, like glass marbles, obviously. Pretty popular with kids cause theyre sweet, good way to get them to eat fruit as well.'' 

Eva chewed a little longer before swallowing. It tasted a lot better than she had anticipated, and not just cause she had gotten rather hungry overnight.   
The pastry wasnt that big, maybe the size of the palm of her hand, so it was devoured in only a few more bites.   
''Alright, now I'm curious.'' she declared, reaching into the bag once more. 

This time, it was some kind of braided piece of bread, a little darker on the outside, like a pretzel. Roughly the same size of the previous thing, yet a little bit higher, like it had risen while baking like a normal dough.

''Ah, that ones common. Thats bread, but its flavoured with something we call 'Talis-Root', so its a tiny bit spicy. A lot of people put some other things on there for on-the-go, but its good on its own too. We had it all the time in the Academy.''

''I see.. You went to that Academy with the general, right? I think you mentioned it yesterday.'' she simply took a big bite this time. It was a bit softer than normal bread rolls, like a brioche bun, but really slightly salty, a little bit of spice unfolding when she chewed it.  
''Ah, alright. Tastes a bit like garlic. Also really good, though.''

''Dont know what that is, but I'll keep it in mind.'' Farid chuckled. ''And yes, I did. We were roommates since we knew each other from the first few years of school. Training was hard, but well, we made it. I remember we got so hungry after a fieldtrip once that we just got a whole box of these things, cooked them up and ate them all night. Got into kind of a competition somehow. Man, those were the days I tell ya, I think the dude destroyed like 34 of these things.'' 

''Garlics' also a spice root. Small, white, makes everything tastes good but gives you really bad breath. But holy hell, 34?'' Dirak sure didnt look like someone that ate much, at least when he took off the armour.

Farid nodded, chuckling a little.   
''Yup, I think it was that much. Should've seen him back then, he was /ripped/. Gonna look out for that garlic thing when I get the chance to go to the closest inter-planetary market though.''

''Thats a thing?'' she asked, taking another bite.

''Where do you think your friend got that suit from?''

''Right.'' she set the rest of the roll aside, keeping something for later was always a good idea. Trying out this new stuff was really fun, too.  
There was one more thing to try out. It looked like a small, rather flat pie, it was pretty round in shape too, something resembling chocolate sprinkles on the top. 

''Oh, didnt know those were still around. Pretty rare these days. Cheap, but take a while to make to my knowledge.''

''And whats in it?''

''Im not a baker, but uh.. The base is kind of cake-y, the filling is sweet, but honestly I have no clue how thats made. I only know part of it consists of the juice from a plant, it has that in its leaves, its like a gel.''

''Sound pretty similar to an aloe plant, we have those on earth. Maybe its just Nourasias version of it.'', she figured, simply taking a bite out of it.  
Just as Farid had told her, the filling tasted rather sweet, and unlike a pie, the whole thing was rather soft in texture, except for the outer layer of the crust. Whatever was sprinkled on top put some additional crunch to it, while simultaneously adding a little bit of spice, but nothing she could compare to anything she knew.   
''I think this is the best one yet, oh my.'' using both hands now, she ate on, eyes lighting up in exitement. ''Its really good! I need like 500 of these, damn.. Whats that stuff on top though?''

Farids expression changed into a mischievous smirk as he crossed his arms.

''Farid, what is it..?'' she asked again, swallowing hard.

With a slight giggle, he finally answered.  
''Crickets.''

''Whaaat?'' she was not exactly disgusted, but it was.. uncommon. ''Wouldnt have guessed that one if my life depended on it. I dont wanna know /how/ they made that from crickets, though..'' more carefully, she chewed on.

''Bake them, to my knowledge. And then grated really finely.''

''Didnt I say I didnt wanna know?''

''Not as gruesome as killing larger, more sentient animals though, dont you think? You earth-people should know. I heard somewhere that you guys think insects and stuff like that is gross, though. Didnt expect you to take it that well.''

''Both true.''   
She was satisfied just when she finished the pastry, combing through her hair with her fingers to at least make it somewhat tidy.  
''So.. Whats planned for the day? Cant really do much while the Prince is away.''

''Dont you just call him 'Aikka'?'' Farid asked, raising an eyebrow.

Eva froze in her tracks. ''How do you know..?''

''Oh, sorry, forgot to tell you.'' He rubbed at his temple, trying to find the right words to describe what he wanted to say. ''I know things. About people, that is. If Im lucky, I can look at a person and know something about them thats hidden, no matter how secret they want to keep it. Been born with it, its not something you can learn. What I could learn, or in a way, improve, was that I can see what /will be/, at least to some extend.''

''So.. you can read minds and.. predict the future?''

''Not really, its not like I can choose a specific information, the only thing I know about you and the Prince is that he calls you by your nickname, and you call him Aikka. And that you two apparently missed each other a lot.''

''And about the future? Can you predict certain things, or is that random too?''

''I can narrow it down to about three to four hours from the point in time I need to see. Also, it just predicts whats most likely to happen, not necessarily how it /will/ turn out in the end. Its why I am a tactical advisor. I work closely with the General, and when theres a certain action in planning, I can predict whether its wise to do so or not. It also warned us about attacks a good couple times.''

''Sounds like a good thing to have. Are there many people like you?''

''No, unfortunately. Maybe two or three on the whole planet.''

''I see.. So, I remember Dirak told me your mount is a mantis yesterday, is that right?''

''It is. Got her around the same time he got Ekko. The training was /way/ easier though, theyre really friendly.''

''Just wondering, is there any rule to assign mounts to people? Or are they just chosen?''  
She picked a hairtie from her pocket, simply putting her hair up into a small bun. 

''Well, some can be chosen, but most are assigned to people based on their skills. For example, the hummingbirds are mostly used by women, though there are exeptions. The birds just seem to prefer women, short ones in particular, probably because theyre lighter, usually. Centipedes and most arachnids need very fierce, powerful riders. Beetles are gentle for the most part, they need a patient, yet determined rider. You know the one the prince has, right? I can tell youve met it before.''

Eva had been listening closely. All these years, she only had limited information on this planet, so she wanted to take in all the information she could gather. It was interesting to see too. The ways of this society, especially in connection with wildlife, seemed to be wildly different from earth.  
''I did.'', she answered, ''Huge, but cute somehow. As you said, really gentle too.''

''Right.'' he smiled in return.

''And scorpions just dont want to be tamed at all, it seems. Pretty neat coincidence that you got one right now, where theres a war at your feet..''

''No coincidence.'' he shook his head. ''Well, partially.''

''What do you mean?''

''Well, its one thing to keep a scorpion, its another to train it and make it 'tame'. Ekko is of the species of the mountains, the species with the second most potent vemon of all. A single drop of its venom can kill 5 to 10 of the Crogs, and its got about one or two liters saved up. But theyre also the most aggressive species. As his roommate, I saw how difficult it was sometimes. He made it eventually, I mean, not like he had a choice. As a future general, he /had/ to make it. Taming a mount is important for a soldier, but the part that will get you the most respect is actually pulling through. And he needed to get respect. He doesnt have a family history in the league of generals, so he had to do it somehow. Just happened to be a good fit for a scorpion. And with a war in sight, its not like someone put a word against it.''   
Farid shrugged his shoulders, then suddenly looked away.  
''The worst part was the poison though.'', he muttered, visibly disgruntled, even just from the memory.

''Poison? You mentioned its very potent.''

''You see, as his trainer, he was most likely to be stung. So as soon as Ekko was fully grown, he had to be immune. Its part of the training of a scorpion rider, too, however that makes sense.''   
He bit his lip in disgust. ''The poison only gets to its full potential in full-grown scorpions. We were 18 at the time, almost 19, last year in the Academy.. They started with very small doses of course, but.. Man, those were the worst two weeks of school I remember. It sucks to see your best friend just.. He was pale as a piece of paper, shaking all over, threw up just from /thinking/ about food.. But at least it got better after two weeks. Maybe it was more, but at least not as bad after two weeks.. Now hes fully immune. What angers me is that it was all for nothing, basically. Ekko /never/ stung him.''  
He balled his fist, but shook his head, trying to get get rid of the thought.

''Oh.. sorry for that. Didnt want to remind you of it.''

She was met with Farids usual, friendly expression though. ''Oh, its alright. Cant change it now that its in the past, right?'' 

Eva could tell his smile was fake, but she simply left it uncommented.

''I'd say we go outside for once, hm? Theres a lot to show you. Dirak told me you like mechanical stuff, right?''

She looked up, nodding heavily at that remark. ''I.. really like it, actually. Its my job back on earth, too. Its really interesting.''

''I think I know just the place to show you, then!''


	12. The Blacksmith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little short, but hey, its a chapter..!  
> Some magic machinery for now, haha..
> 
> Please please leave a comment if you want to, it really motivates me to go on! I'll probably answer to anything, too, so dont be shy!

Surprisingly, it was rather quiet when she followed Farid around through the alleyways of the base, only few people crossing their path. Once, she had to make way for a rather large beetle-type mount to pass through, its rider greeting silently from up on it. A woman, she saw, long hair woven into an elegant braid, her armour looked a lot more thick and sturdy than the ones Eva had seen so far.

''Not that far anymore. You're lucky, hes quite friendly, especially in the mornings!'' Farid rambled, yet Eva noticed he was talking a lot more quietly than normal, as if he was.. scared, somehow.

''Everything alright?'', she asked after a few moments of silence, ''Also, where is everyone? Its so silent all of a sudden.''

''Well.. most attacks happen from evening to early morning.. After a while, the bad feeling just sticks with you. I mean, not like its not there all the time in a place like this one, but its worst in the mornings, somehow.''

''I see..''   
The Crogs seemed like the type of people to attack at night. The thought made her stomach sink a little. She would definately not sleep as deeply anymore.

''Some people wont even talk until its a few hours after sunrise. To honour the ones who have not made it through the night.''

Eva simply nodded. Of course the customs of this planet were a lot different from the ones she was used to, but she was willing to learn. She just hoped she would manage to catch up soon enough, learn all she needed to know. The least thing she wanted to do was offend, especially in these hard times.

 

Farid came to a halt in front of a small wooden cabin-like building, the outside of it looked like it was charred, almost black like coal in some places.

''There we are! The good old blacksmith.'', he exclaimed, gesturing to the front door, ''I know its probably not the most techy place we have to offer, but its something. I mean, if you found the fireplate interesting, then this will up it at least a little bit.''  
With that, he pushed open the door, which seemed a good amount heavier then Eva had estimated. Quickly, she followed him inside.

It took her eyes a few moments to adjust to the sudden darkness, but soon enough, the dim light from a few simple lamps, which seemed to have some kind of bioluminescent content was enough for her to make out her surroundings.  
The room, which was rather big in itself, was filled with all kinds of weapons and armour, from what she could tell. It reminded her a lot of a traditional, old blacksmith she had seen in a documentary long ago, it all seemed a little dark and gloomy, a big fireplace on the other side of the room, adding a slightly red tough to the lighting. The anvil looked a little different from the ones she had seen, but it was still recognizable.  
They were approached by a man only seconds after. He was about a hands width shorter than the General, Eva estimated, but probably about twice as wide. Also probably a good amount older, too. Most of him seemed to be muscle, with a lot of dark tattoos on the skin. His hair was a dark brown, bound together in a bun, probably to stop it from interfering with his work. She carefully eyed him for now, though his expression didnt seem vicious. He looked friendly in fact, smiling at both of them. 

''Morriganis, my boy!'' he greeted, giving said man a firm pat on the shoulder, ''Havent seen you in a while! And you brought a guest, as well! I've heard about you already, young lady!''   
She could tell he was being careful, but the handshake she was offered still felt like her hand was breaking a little bit. She didnt show it, smiling nervously.  
''Call me Senneh! Pardon the question, but Ive heard a couple of names going around.. Do you insist to be called by title, or..?''

Eva couldnt help but laugh a little in response. ''I actually dont have a title, but its nice of you to ask! Just call me Eva.''

''No title?'' he raised an eyebrow in response, his arms folded before him, ''I heard the prince himself called you by that..?''

''Weeeell.. Its a long story, but its more of a nickname, really. Except for the Great Race part, I really won that.''

''I see.'' He nodded, a crooked smile on his face now. ''So tell me, what brings you two here?'' his attention went back to Farid briefly, ''You havent broken that damn neck-plate again, have you?''

''Eh.. You see, Eva is a mechanic on her homeworld, so shes really into all that technical-science-y stuff. Also the parts that work with magic, right?'' he looked back to Eva for affirmation, which he was granted with a confident nod. 

''I see, I see.. I think I've got a few things I can show you, then.'' Senneh losened his arms again, tucking a stray strand of hair back into the bun.

''….And I broke the neck-plate.''

''I knew it! Alright, I'll take care of it later. But first, I'll take care of our little guest.''

''Thats nice of you.'' Farids shoulders losened a bit in relief, turning to head for the door at the statement. ''I think that will kill some time though. Take good care of her, shes under the highest rank of protection. I need to get some things done myself, so. Bye!'' He dissapeared before Eva could even return the farewell.

''He's always been like that, dont worry. Just a bit more busy now, thats all.'' Senneh said when he gazed to the door as it closed once more. For a door that heavy, it wasnt that loud when it fell shut. ''So, Eva.. Tell me, what exactly does a 'mechanic' do, on Earth?''

''Thats an easy one. We fix and build all kinds of machienery, mostly ships or cars at the moment, so mainly engines or motorwork. All mechanical though, we dont have magic, at all.''

''Must have it a lot harder, then! Well, I heard your planet is pretty low on fuels because of that though, so... to each their own, I suppose!''   
He bowed down to dig through a pile of all kinds of tools, most were metal from the sound of it. He put a few on the anvil near the fire, before he went to a different corner, just as stuffed with parts and pieces, to return with a strange-looking box in his hands, which he placed on a small table near Eva.   
It was about as big as a standard toaster, but wooden all around, except for one side, which was probably glass (ot the Nourasian equivalent of it). Looking inside through that side told Eva that the box was, in fact, empty.  
''So. You know what this is?'' Senneh asked cautiously. In his defense, there was no way he could know what she had and had not seen, or what was available on earth.

She gave the weird thing another look over, before giving up. ''Sorry, no clue.''

The big man smiled merrily, then calmly placed a hand on the box, murmuring a few words Eva could not understand. So some spells still had to be spoken..  
It only took a few seconds before something inside of the apparatus, or rather, something inside the glass on the one side, began to glow.  
Wide-eyed, Eva lowered herself to take a closer look.   
Now, she saw glowing runes and symbols, trapped in the glass like pictures in a phone, but she was not sure if they were somehow on the /inside/ of the box as well. She noticed there was one symbol coloured differently from the others, a light green instead of the glowy blue of all the rest. It danced over the rest of them, swaying from side to side ever so slowly, like the pendulum of a very old clock...

''I have a feeling this tells you the time, like a clock..?'' she guessed.

''Exactly! I also build it myself.'' Senneh nodded, looking proudly at his creation. ''So.. you wanna find out how it works?''

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The few hours she spend at the blacksmiths' went by in a heartbeat.   
Admittedly, it was a bit hard to wrap her mind around the concept of some of the magic Senneh had explained to her, but in relation to a mechanical construction, some things had gotten a lot more clearer, at least. Sometimes, a magically emitted electrical spark seemed to be the missing puzzle piece in an 'electric' construction, or, in the case of the fireplate, a spark.   
It was nice to talk to someone who was seemingly just as passionate as she was, though. In a way, he even behaved and talked like her colleagues back on earth. It felt a lot closer to home working on all these kinds of constructions, trying to figure out how their parts worked together.. It was like finding a second part of your favourite book, she imagined. There was the things she knew from back on earth, and now, there was a new chapter for her to add.

To her surprise, it was not Farid that picked her up when the sky was already turning slightly red. Not an unpleasant surprise, but the ever-vicious expression of Diraks face still managed to have shaken her, just a little bit.

The fact that he was accompanied by Ekko only added to that.  
As they walked back through the alleys, she noticed Diraks limp had gotten a bit worse compared to yesterday.

''Where have you been?'' she asked carefully, ''If I may ask. You seem a little.. tired.''

''Hm?'' he turned to look at her, his eyebrows raised a bit higher than usual, as if he was surprised. ''Oh, there was a conference a few miles from here I had to attend, and I had to do the usual surveys, keep track of everything, making sure everything and everyone is where its supposed to be.. Just the usual.''

''Seems stressful.''

''It is. But someones' gotta do it.'', he sighed, placing one hand on Ekkos pincher next to him as he went, putting a little weight on it to make walking easier. ''I have good news from your friend, though.''

''You do?'' she listened more closely, taking a few bigger steps to walk a little more next to Dirak. Ekko didnt react to it, so she was confident the huge insect would not decide to murder her just yet.

''Yes, I managed to check in after I was done with the surveys. He's doing alright, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to see for yourself tomorrow. Had a couple of tendons ripped and a little bit of nerve damage, but from what I heard, most of it could be fixed. He'll probably be back on track completely in a few weeks, hes still young, it shouldnt be a problem.''

''Glad to hear that..'' Eva was visibly relieved, even though she herself had not fully felt the worry she had been in. ''I'm gonna go see him tomorrow, then. Everyone has been really nice, but.. I just know him the longest, and its weird to be 'alone' on an alien planet, haha..''   
''Hm-hm..'' he nodded slowly. ''Oh, he also told me to ask you whether or not his 'promise' is 'holding up'?''

''Oh, ehm, that..'' it felt embarrassing, but there was a slight blush on her face now. ''You know, when we were younger, back on Oban, he promised me to show me his kingdom one day.. I guess thats what he meant by it.'' 

The General scoffed audibly, but with a playful smile.   
''Cute.''


	13. The Sickbay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long waits, its summer around here and I'm melting. Also a lot of work.
> 
> Buuut hey Im doing my best, so..

The night had been far more relaxing than the one before, though Eva had to admit she felt a little sore when she woke.  
Breakfast ended up being the same things she had gotten the day before. It didnt bother her, after all, these things had been quite tasty. Unlike the previous day, she had been greeted by the General himself when she had left the room. As expected, he was already fully up and ready to leave, minus the armour. Maybe that was due to the fact that it was not that early anymore though, judging by the light from outside.

There was a cool breeze when they left the house eventually, combing through Evas hair gently as she walked.   
They did not get too far, though.  
Only minutes after they had left, Eva had seen a shadow from above, ever growing as something approached. Before she even had the chance to look up, the enourmous bird had already landed right before her. 

It reminded her a lot of the hummingbirds back on earth, yet this one was about as big as two horses. Its feathers were vibrant in colour, almost completely purple, yet specks of green and gold woven throughout, shimmering in the sunlight. Its head and tail had a couple of even longer feathers to them, like a paradise bird of sort.

And it was not alone. Eva had noticed the headgear on the birds head, and the armoured rider seated before its wings.  
Swiftly, the woman emerged from the feathers, landing steadily on her feet.

She was about as big as Eva was, revealing a long, dark brown braid and a slender, yet friendly face when she took off her helmet. Her eyes were light in colour, like green gemstones, maybe the lightness of the colour even made them look a little blue. The woman was rather slender in general, but her arms and legs seemed to have a fair amount of muscle.  
She gave Eva a short look over, before turning her attention to Dirak, lowering her head in a simplified bow.

''Lieutenant.'' he answered, nodding slightly, eyeing the woman before him. ''I thought your troops would not return before tomorrow?''

''True...'' she began, looking away from his face for a brief moment. So Eva wasnt the only one who felt uncomfortable with looking him in the eyes..  
''There have been.. miscalculations. I had to come here to request backup.''

Silence hung in the air, thick like a blanket. A few people around had stopped in their tracks, listening to what was being discussed from a distance.

Dirak bit his lip, his eyes suddenly looking a lot more piercing. He was thinking. Obviously, every move in this war had to be perfectly placed, like a game of chess.

''How many more of /them/ are there..?'' he asked, with a calm tone in his voice.

''Around 200 more than anticipated. Theyre moving towards the north-east of the fields.''  
Evas heart sank. She had seen first-hand what even one of them could do.

''How many casualties?''

''Ten, as of today. Maybe more.''

Eva saw him ball his fist tighty from the corner of her eye.   
It was probably only a few seconds, yet the tension made it feel much longer.   
It was at him to decide.   
Eva knew how it must have felt. She knew the feeling of having the responsibility. The race had been slightly different, but there had been lifes on the line, just the same. She imagined it must have felt different to actually /send/ people to their potential death, though, to have seen their faces, know their names..  
Dirak raised his hand slowly, brushing a strand of hair back behind his ear.

''Alright.''   
The woman before them looked back up to him when he spoke, her eyes wide in anticipation.  
''I can send 250 of my soldiers. You go back to the fields and inform the squadron leaders.''

The lieutenant nodded, bowing a bit more this time.  
''Thank you, General! I'll make haste!''  
Before she could turn, she took another look at Eva. With a hurried smile, she bowed once more. ''Pleasure to meet you too, Eva from earth. I hope we can meet once more.''

Before she could even reply, the woman was back on her bird, dissapearing as quickly as she had showed up.

''Eva.'' Dirak began, facing her suddenly, one hand on her shoulder. ''You remember where the sickbay is, right?'' 

''I.. I do.'' she nodded.

''Go there, quickly. You'll be safe there until I return.''

''So you will go /with/ your soldiers?''

''Yes. I have no other choice.'' he reached to the side of his belt, getting a dagger-sized knife from it. The blade looked a lot like it was made from some kind of gem, shiny, with green and blue highlights, like an opal. ''Take this with you, just to make sure.''

Eva gave the dagger a quick look over before grabbing it, attaching it to her own belt immediately.   
''Okay.''

The general stood tall once more, letting go of Evas shoulder when he turned to leave. He whistled loudly once, they were not far from the stables, so Ekko came running to him in a matter of seconds.

''Be careful out there!'' Eva added before he was out of range.

He looked back at her. She could not see fear in his eyes, at least not obviously. Maybe it was best to be made of stone in moments like these.

''You too.''

At that, Eva started running.

At her speed, it would take her a good 5 minutes to get to the sickbay.   
The more people she passed, the more she noticed fear was grabbing her. Most ran in the opposite direction.   
Someone was yelling. It must have been far away, but she heard it loud and clear.   
It was the Generals voice. Probably some kind of spell to reach everyone as fast as possible.   
He was yelling commands, Eva hurried through more and more soldiers, dodging against a wall harshly when her path was blocked by a row of gigantic mounts. The closest she could descibe them to were probably goliath beetles, yet most had sharp horns on their heads, and all the way around their bodies, except for on the wings. Their outer shells shimmered in all sorts of colours, most resembling the shiny purple, black and green of spilled oil.   
Like tanks, they made their way through the passage, Eva kept herself pressed firmly against the wall.  
They passed through and she continued running, not daring to look back.

In that moment, it was all too clear for her. This was war.   
It all seemed organized, controlled, and yet she felt the madness behind it.   
She had to get used to it. For now, she was safe here. For now.

Eva still heard the people yelling and running outside when she slammed the door of the medbay shut behind her. Her back pressed firmly against it, her breath heaving. Normally, she could run a good amount longer, faster even, but the situation seemed to have startled her a lot more than she had wanted.

For a moment, she just stared at the ground before her, her breathing almost back to normal. Her heart still felt like it was trying to break out of her.   
Slowly, she looked up, eyes adjusting to the sudden darkness. It was not that dim in the hallway, but enough for her to not see the end of it.   
What she could see was the white-haired woman before her, though.   
She was dressed in a grey dress, reaching almost to the ground. Her hair was losely braided back, revealing her round-ish, friendly face. All in all, she was rather huggable, pudgy, but not really a lot. She seemed to be a little bit older though, if Eva had to guess, probably in her early 60s, or late 50s. 

Curiously, the woman approached her a bit further.  
Her eyes were dark brown, round, her lashes a bit short. Still, one could tell she had been a stunning woman once.  
She raised her hands when she looked into Evas eyes, shifting her fingers around quickly.   
Was she.. signing?

''I.. Im sorry, I dont-'' Eva shook her head, noticing how shaky her own voice was.

The woman cocked her head, lipped pressed together tightly, as if questioning.  
Then, she smiled. It was a friendly, comforting smile.   
Evas brows furrowed. 

The woman pointed at her, then back into the hallway, looking over her shoulder to enhance her point, before looking back and lightly tapping at her own forehead, then cocking her head again, waiting to see if she had understood her question.

''I'm.. here for..'' Eva started decoding the message, gaining a grin and a nod so far.  
It took her a few more seconds to guess what the last sign had meant, though, but it had been kind of obvious if she thought about it.  
''The.. Yes, yes I'm here for the prince!'' she answered, stepping away from the door she was still leaning against.

The woman smiled even wider, signing what must have been the Nourasians version of a thumbs up at her before offering a hand. Eva gladly accepted the offer, and the next thing she knew was being pulled through the hallway. Apparently, she ad greatly underestimated the womans' strengh.

The hallway led them to another door, then down a set of wide stairs.   
It probably must have been two or three stories worth of stairs until she was led through another door. The hallway was not as wide this time, a few doors left and right. After that, there were no individual rooms, but beds left and right. A few were isolated by movable walls made from wood and linen constructions.   
The hall was lit by the same flourescent lights she had seen at the blacksmith's the day before. It was not dark, but the fact that they were underground still added a certain gloomyness.  
It reminded Eva of a really, really old concept of a hospital, but it felt weird for it to be underground. There was no natural light, no windows, only hard, dark walls. But it was a /military/ hospital, so by all means, it was practical.   
It was a bit unsettling to take a closer look at the sickbays inhabitants, though.   
In school, Eva had always heard the stories of the horrors of war, there had been plently in earths' history after all. She had seen the photographs, even. But seeing it up close was a different story entirely.

There were people that had lost limbs. Young people, even. Men and women, all the same. One woman Eva had caught a glimpse of seemed to have half her face in fresh scars, one eye completely taken out, and she was missing an ear..  
She had lost count of how many soldiers had missing legs, or blind eyes. Some had bandages over most of their bodies.  
Some were completely wrapped in dark linen, being carried off by the people who seemed to be the rest of the staff here. 

Eva almost crashed against the back of the mute woman when she suddenly came to a halt at one of the beds. She had been too occupied with looking around, too taken in by the horrors that surrounded her, to keep an eye on what was in front. 

''I'm sorry, I-'' she began, but the woman simply adjusted the grip she still had on Evas hand to nudge her towards the bed they were standing next to, still smiling contently.

''Molly!''

At least there was a familiar face now.   
Before she could even think about it, she had leaned over him, pulling him into a firm hug, arms around his neck.   
He seemed to have been doing alright, being awake and all. Eva had seen his arm was still in a sling, but the bandages now reached up his entire arm, up to his neck. She was careful not to accidentally brush against any fresh wounds. It felt good to be close once more. The last few days had been one hell of a ride for her, and it all seemed to crash back down on her right in this moment. She felt like crying, but bottled it up. This was not the time.   
Eva felt him shifting to sit up, using his free hand to do so before finally putting it around her in return, perhaps a bit firmer than what would have been necessarily just a usual greeting.

For a moment, no one said a word. His hand travelling up to cup her head gently, pressing her against himself a little tighter. They both knew that if they had been alone, they would have stayed like this a lot longer. But unfortunately, they did not have this priviledge right now.

''So.. How are you feeling?'' Her voice was still a little shaky from fright. Aikka did not entirely let go of her when she pulled back, keeping his hand on her shoulder so sitting was a bit easier. 

''Good, I'd say. At this rate, I guess its safe for me to leave tomorrow. Or this evening, maybe. I dont have to sit around /here/ all day, basically.''  
Eva sat down on the side of the bed, still keeping at least somewhat close to him.  
''I see you already got to know each other?'' the prince asked towards both Eva and the white-haired woman. The latter simply nodded, then swiftly signing a few things.  
''Thats correct.'' He gestured over to Eva, ''Eva Wei, Winner of the Race'' a sly grin found its way onto his face, ''Princess of Earth.'' 

''Im no princess!'' Eva herself clarified, shooting a halfway serious glare back at her friend, who simply responded with a wink. A bit risky, but the woman didnt seem to take suspicion.

The woman once again held her hand out towards Eva, this time, only for a handshake. 

''Her name is Nari by the way.'', he chimed in once more, ''Would have been a little tricky for her to tell you herself. She is mute, but not deaf. She has been working as a nurse for the armed forces for half a century, one of the best spellcasters in this part of the kingdom.''   
Nari nodded at the remark, her friendly grin still on her face, as if she still tried to calm her guest, at least a little.   
Once more she started signing, a bit more articulated now, looking back and forth between the two of them sometimes.

The prince watched closely. Perhaps he was not /as/ fluent in understanding sign language as one could get, so it took him a few seconds to answer.

''Alright. Thank you for your help.''

Nari showed a proper tumbs up at Eva this time, then turning to dissapear back into the vastness of the hall.

''What did she say?'' Eva asked, adjusting a bit to sit more comfortably.

''Oh, she just said that she needed to tend to some other patients now, but that she was glad to have had the priviledge of guiding you through here.''

''I see.''

''And she said your hair looks cute.''

''Aww..'' Eva chuckled, a bit less on edge now. ''I like her.''

''Yes. She is known to be quite gentle.'' He let his hand slip a little more down her arm so he would not grip at her shoulder too long, but Eva could tell he could probably keep himself up on his own. Not that she was complaining.

''So.. They figured out what the problem with your arm was?'' 

''Yeah.. As we suspected, there really were a couple tendons ripped, thats why I couldnt move it. A few muscles torn, but I'll be able to move it again soon enough. If the feeling in my hand returns isnt that clear yet, though. As long as its only a few fingers, it should be fine.'' 

Right, there was something.. Eva had almost forgotten in the light of everything that had been going on.

''Oh..'' She lowered her gaze, looking at the bandages on his arm. They seemed a bit tight. Probably to prevent it from swelling. ''I'm still sorry about what happened. I really am.''

''It wasnt your fault. Besides, we finally met again after so many years. That I brought you back with me was.. unexpected, and in all honestly, I should be sorry for getting you into this mess. Its really not the kingdom I wished to show you when I made my promise back then.'' he sighed, letting go of her, lifting her gaze by gently nudging her chin up with his hand instead. ''But its still something, right?'' 

She could see there was worry in his eyes. Maybe a little pain, too. He was right. It was not what she had imagined all these years. And yet, no one was to blame. Now, there was only hoping that somehow, they would find a way to end this war. Perhaps then, this world would be a little more peaceful once more.

''It is something.'' she finally answered, he took his hand away from her face before anyone could notice. ''Your people have been really nice to me. Its a shame whats happening to them, and to this planet.. But I am sure we'll find a way. Just like we did back then.''

Finally, Eva saw a small smile on his face that didnt seem to be infested with worry.  
''I'll have your word on that!'' 

''Hey, you were the one saying it was time for us to join forces, remember?'' 

They were both chuckling, now. Not too loudly to disturb whoever was around, but still, the memories just seemed to make their hearts and minds a bit lighter.


	14. The War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gonna have a lot of work to do the next few weeks and I dont know how much I'll be able to write then, but enjoy this chapter for now!

_Once, it had been a different place._  
The field used to be covered with ferns and grass and flowers for miles, stretching itself from the edge of the southern deserts all the way up to the endless seas of the west.   
It had been an ocean of green, growing taller than the biggest men. 

_This had been the case long ago._  
Now, it was all dirt and stone, not a single flower daring to rise.  
The ground was dry, cold. Stained red from the iron of their warships, from blood, dust constantly clouding the area like a thin curtain, like a cloud that had fallen from the sky, covering as far as the eye could see. 

_Especially on the days where the battles were the harshest, it seemed like there was more sand than oxygen to breathe._

_They heard the cannons from afar._  
Like thunder, it rumbled and crashed, but there was no rain. It never rained.  
Only flashes of light from above, and another mount hitting the ground seconds after.  
Another casualtie. Many, when fate decided it so.  
There werent as many casualties in the battles up above. On either side.   
Flashes of light, be it a spell or a laser.   
But there was always light.   
It all started and ended in a flash of light. 

_Sometimes, the General envied them._  
Up above, right under the dark clouds that just never seemed to fade, there was at least fresh air to breathe. Or at least, he imagined it so.   
The fights ended quicker as well. In a matter of seconds, it would be over. There was no struggle when you had been hit. You simply waited. If the strike had not ended your life, the ground would. Either way, it was over.  
On the ground, it was another story.   
Most battles were fought here. Spellcasting and lasers clashed wherever one could make out a light in the dust, iron hit iron until sparks flew. It was here where the most of them had died. Where most of the soldiers would meet their end.   
They had an adventage in the darkness of the dust. They were much faster than their enemies, swifter, trying to evade oncoming attacks as long as they could until an opportunity arose. 

_And that was exactly what made this fight so deadly._  
They had to depend on opportunities. Opportunities that sometimes just did not appear.  
One direct hit from one of the giants, one of the 'monsters', and it was over.  
Most of them were big enough to crush them by hand when they got a hold of one of the soldiers. But they were never without weapons.   
Be it blades, or guns, or lasers, they were armed. Their neverending march thrummed onto the ground like drums in a distance. 

_The scorpions own claws digged deep into the ashes as it ran, swiftly evading oncoming enemies, and soldiers of their own.  
Its master had fallen silent from yelling commands when they had reached the edge of the battlefields. Everyone knew their job._

_Try and take out as many of them as possible. Try not to get killed._

_The man looked around. He knew that he would see them before they could spot him. Bodies like theirs were hard to hide.  
He tried to keep his breath shallow. At least the helmets could filter out most of the dust. _

_And then, he saw it._  
Outlines. Dark shadows in the dust.  
And more screams.  
He was all too familiar with the sound of bones and armour breaking, flesh being ripped, and bodies hitting the ground. 

_He quickly moved in closer, Ekkos claws brushing up against the ground when he stopped, sending rocks and dirt flying._  
Three dead soldiers on his left, two more on the right. Many more in the shadows where he could not see. One had their head missing. Another seemed like they had been ripped in half, the blood on the ground still fresh.   
There was no way to tell how many enemies were lurking in the shadows, but there were two right before him. 

_Three of them had been slayed as well.  
The general knew their numbers were greater than the Crogs', but ratios like there were the reason why this war had lasted this long. _

_He dismounted quickly, grabbing the sword from his back._  
The opal blade had always been his weapon of choice.   
Bows and spells were better for keeping a distance. Yet he was no archer, nor a spellcaster. 

_''Ekko!'' he commanded, pointing at the approaching Crog on his far left. He himself stood still, letting the other one get closer on its own. Both were armed with enormous blades, glowing through the fog._  
Just before it was too late, he dodged the attacker, the blade just barely missing its target.  
A low growl escaped the Generals' throat as he spoke in ancient tounge, the air around him almost electric. He did not back away, moving in closer to the attackers' side, ramming his sword into their side where the armour was weakest. 

_The scorpion hissed, clacking its claws together, almost tauntingly. It still circled around the Crog it had been assigned, neither of them attacking yet. Even the Crogs were careful with creatures like these.  
All of a sudden, an faint glow surrounded the scorpion, and it made a jump forward, not even attampting to dodge the oncomig blade of the enemy. _

_A shattering sound, then silence, and the Crog fell. A spell, in combination with the thick plating of the insect, was more powerful than the iron of the Crogs. And a sting to the face was lethal, even to them._

_There were too many bodies around to make it feel like a triumph._

_The sounds of battles from around would never fade._

_This war was neverending. What they needed was a miracle. One that would never come._

_A call from above took his attention, and he dissapered into the shadows once more. The help of his forces were needed elsewhere._

_Bodies everywhere. Friends, enemies, all the same.  
In this no mans' land, luck was the only thing you needed. The only thing you could have._

_Once, it had been a different place._

~~~~~~~

Eva stayed at the medbay until evening came.   
It was just getting dark outside when the doors opened once more.  
The soldiers had returned. 

Many of them had to lean against each other to even be able to stand.  
Most of them were covered in blood, sweat and red dust. 

Eva shuffled a little bit closer to Aikka, both watching silently.

The satff immediately took action, anyone who could was helping. Assigning beds, assessing the damage, before chaos could take over.

From where they were sitting, they were just close enough to see their faces.  
It was a horrible sight.  
Some were covered in too much blood to see what the initial trauma had been.   
Eva saw a young looking man with a piece of cloth pressed to his face, soaked through with blood. Another had lost an entire arm.   
Countless soldiers with cuts and bruises, burns, limbs so broken it was painful to even look at them.

In the mids of everything, they saw the General.   
He approached them, the same stern look on his face as always.   
In his arms, he carried the woman Eva had seen in the morning, the one who had arrived on the enormous hummingbird, she remembered.   
She hoped that it was mostly dust that stained her armour red.

She was unresponsive, but looked fairly alive, compared to some others. In his arms, she had almost looked small. Her eyes were wide open, probably in shock. It didnt look like she could move a lot, her left foot looking especially broken. Eva could see at least three metal nails sticking out of her leg, many more on the side of her body. Probably one of those nailbombs..  
She was holding on to the tall man tightly, terrified, and in a lot of pain. Anyone would have been. Her hands gripped the edge of his armour so tightly the bones of her knuckles had turned visibly pale.  
A few empty beds from them, Dirak layed her down, much more carefully than one would have expected from him. Almost gently, he losened the grip she had on his armour, placing her hands on the bed properly. He turned to call for a medic, but there was calm in his voice. Of course. It was his job to give them at least a meek belief that everything was okay, especially in moments like these. He waited until someone arrived, saying a last few words before leaving her in the medics' care. 

Next, his attention fell to Eva, as if he had detetcted her presence.  
She felt Aikka twitch as well.   
It was only a small cut above his brow, but it had bled well enough to run down into his eye, dripping down his face slowly. Just when she thought she was getting used to his harsh, menacing looks...   
He stood tall once more from where he had leaned over the bed, walking over to the two of them ever so slowly.

''I see you have made it here safely, Eva.'', his voice was a bit deeper than usual, raspy, like it would have been after a bad cold.  
His eye was dark, reddened with blood, reaching almost to the icy blue iris. 

''I did, yes..'' she didnt look away this time, though.

He nodded, looking over to the Prince briefly. ''I hope your stay here has been alright so far, your majesty.''

''As alright as it can be these days.'' 

''Good.''   
Eva could hear how heavy his breathing still was.   
''Im afraid it will take a while until I can bring you back to my house. I need to tend to my troops. Adjust the strategies as well.''

''If I may ask-'' The Prince chimed in, ''Have we been.. successful, today?''

The look in the Generals eyes darkened.   
''If you consider 27 dead soldiers a success.. In excange for 20 of them, and three war-ships destroyed, that is..'' 

For a moment, no one spoke. The air around them felt tense, electric, like a single spark would make it all go up in flame..  
Until Dirak felt someone poke him in the side.

''Oh, Nari.'' his voice suddenly sounded a lot less tense as he lifted his arm slightly to look at where she was standing next to him. ''What are you-''

She shook her head slightly, grabbing his arm, trying to take a closer look at his face. She looked concerned, obviously stressed, but calm in her behaviour.  
When she reached up, trying to get a hold of his shoulder, he resisted, though.

''Nari, Im alright, its nothing. You dont have time.'' 

She furrowed her brow, shooting an angry glare up at him. Almost furiously, she began signing, probably scolding him somehow. It almost looked funny. 

''No, as I said, its fine. The others need you more now.''   
Eva wondered why Nari was so concerned about it, too. Sure, it looked pretty bad, but scrapes on the face almost always looked way worse than they really were.

''Nari, do I have to remind you who is in charge he- hey!''  
Before the General could resist, the elder woman had simply grabbed him by the ear, dragging him all the way down to her level, despite his complaining.   
She held him down with a steady grip on his neck next, using her free hand to inspect the cut above his brow.

Carefully, she picked at it, finally releasing a tiny piece of stone from it.   
She waved it before his eyes, as if wanting to prove her point from before. He didnt look too impressed. 

''Okay, I get it..'' he rolled his eyes ever so slightly, still awkwardly bowed down by her grip. ''Enough for now, though, come on.'' he began to draw himself up again, yet suddenly winced when he applied too much force, his hand grabbing his leg. Eva had noticed his limping had gotten worse when he returned. It made sense, of course it would be worse after a mission.

Nari let go of him finally, attempting to take a look at it, but he stopped her before she could.   
''Dont touch it!'' Dirak insisted through gritted teeth, the arm grabbing his leg shivering slightly. His eyes didnt look vicious, though. For now, he only looked tired.   
''Please..'' he added, swallowing hard. 

Nari sighed, shaking her head. She gave him a final pat on the shoulder before formally signing her farewell, to the younger ones watching as well. She dissapeared back to the other patients once more. There was probably a lot of work for her now.

''Dont be surprised..'' Dirak began explaining, ''Ive known her ever since I started working here. She can get a bit overprotective sometimes.'' Slowly, he got himself to stand up straight.

''Are you sure you can work like that today?'' Aikka asked, tilting his head, ''Its late, also. You should rest.''

''Your concern is well appreciated, but I dont have time to rest now. Theres a lot of work I have to catch up to, as I said. I have to-''

''Would you still have to if you are ordered to escort and watch over our guest-'' Aikka layed a hand onto Evas shoulder, ''..and me, a member of the royal family?''

Dirak seemed to consider it.  
''I suppose... Some of my work I could do from home..''

''Then it is decided.'', the Prince said before Dirak could even think about changing his mind. He moved to sit at the edge of the bed, reaching under to grab a simple, clean shirt from underneath it.  
''Molly, could you.. give me a hand?'' for a moment, the irony of his words lightened the athmosphere, at least a little. Even the General couldnt hide a weak, almost invisible smirk.

It was a bit tricky, but they managed eventually.   
''Okay, you two.'' Dirak turned, leaning mostly on one leg for now. ''Lets go, then.''


	15. The Nightsky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the (short) hiatus, had to get an internship done. But now I'm back, with some more fluff for now haha

Reaching the door took a bit longer than expected, given the generals' pace.   
It was really a sad sight, Eva thought. He kept a straight face, as always, but he was limping more than usual. Twenty-Seven was far too young to be this broken. 

Her hand brushed against Aikkas, just briefly. The hallway was a bit dark at this time of the day, and they were alone, except for Dirak walking ahead.  
Thinking about it, she realized that somehow, the thought of holding hands seemed nice to her at the moment. Just like they had in their short time back on earth. She didnt look up at him though, and he kept looking straight forward as well.   
Yet, she felt him slowly reach out to her, walking just a bit closer than they had. Almost timidly, his hand found hers, only intertwining their fingers ever so slightly, until they were only holding on to their ring- and pinky fingers.   
She couldnt help but blush, be it only a little bit. It was probably the most they could do at the moment, they both knew that. Maybe one day, when everything was a bit clearer, it would be different. 

Dirak pushed the heavy door open, holding it until they had all passed through.  
Outside, there was pitch-black darkness. The only thing that gave a tiny bit of light were the stars up above.   
Eva couldnt help but admire the sky for a few seconds.   
It looked a lot like the nightsky on Earth, and yet, it was different.   
Like the milky way was visible on clear, dark nights, there were lighter streaks stretching over the athmosphere, thousands of tiny lights around and within them.  
The only thing missing was the moon, though.   
Their 'moon' was a lot closer, at least thrice the size on the horizon. And there were smaller lights around it, three in total. Aikka had mentioned enormous tidal waves far out on the oceans a while back, so this seemed to be the explanation. It was breathtaking, nonetheless.  
When she looked closely, she could see what looked like thin ribbons far away in a distance, dancing way up in the planets' athmosphere. It looked almost exactly like the northern lights back on earth, red and purple and turquoise in colour, but not as bright.

''Its gonna be winter soon.'' The General spoke suddenly, looking at the lights as well. ''They always appear before it. A bit early this year.''

Eva gripped the princes' hand a bit tighter. As long as Dirak wouldnt look, it was nice to just be like this. Maybe, the cold made it feel a bit more comforting as well.

''Its beautiful..'' Eva whispered. It felt like when she had first raised her eyes to stargaze as a little child. The same weightlessness, the same feeling, the realization of just how /vast/ the universe really was.. It was the same, even thousands upon thousands of miles away from where she had first felt it. 

She felt Aikkas hand let go of hers, but only to gently reach around her, just enough to pull her a bit closer.   
''I told you I had to show you one day.''

A smile stole its way on her face in return. If only she could stay like this forever..  
Just when she wanted to reply, she saw something from the corner of her eye.

A dim glow, slowly getting brighter, emerging from in between two wooden sheds.   
From the outlines illuminated by the glow, she could soon make out the shape of what slowly approached. It was the generals' mount.

''There you are.'' Dirak noted with a tired half-grin, walking over to give the animal a gentle pat on the head.  
''Dont be alarmed.'' he added, briefly looking at the other two, ''He just does that sometimes. All scorpions do.'' 

''Its bioluminescense, right?'' Eva asked, intrigued by the light blue glow of the creature. All over its scales were intricate, glowing patterns, looking more like a detailed painting than a naturally occuring phenomenon. 

''It is. I've heard the smaller scorpions on earth glow as well?'' 

''Only under blacklight to my knowledge. And not as brightly.''

''I see.'' He reached into his pocket, getting a piece of what seemed to be scorpion treats out of it, before handing it over to Eva.   
''I think you should try giving that to him now. They only glow when they are relatively relaxed. Or really defensive, but he wouldnt have approached this closely if that was the case.'' 

''You sure?'' Eva looked at the treat in her hand, it reminded her a lot of the typical gas-station dried beef on earth.

''I am. If you're going to be around here for long, its wise to have him accept you in his presence. As I said, he really really doesnt like strangers. But food is the safest way to get him to warm up. A little.''

''Alright..'' Eva wasnt really convinced, but she saw the logic behind his words. Maybe it would make being around Ekko a bit easier for her too. She still didnt really trust the animal, but knowing it wasnt likely to attack anymore (however long that may take) sounded like a good idea indeed.

''Okay. At first, show him you have it. And dont make sudden movements.''

Eva did as she was advised, waving the treat at the scorpion from a few meters distance.  
It seemed to immediately grab Ekkos attention, making him stand a bit taller, eyes (probably) fixed on the potential food.

''Good.. Now, get a little bit closer, but watch out for his reaction. If he approaches by himself, stand still. And dont look him in the eyes, he could understand it as a challenge.''

She nodded, carefully taking one step forward. Ekko walked towards her as well, his long scaly legs moving slowly. She immediately stood still, keeping her eyes on the ground before him. From here, the huge pincers right in front of her seemed a lot more terrifying than the stinger all of a sudden. With the size of these things, it would be awfully easy for him to tear apart a full grown human..

''Good...'' Dirak got a bit closer as well, keeping a watchful eye over the situation. ''Now, slowly get down and just place it on the ground. Then back off, but dont turn your back on him.''

''Okay.''   
She had to admit her hand was slightly shaking when she reached forward to put down the treat. On earth, she never really saw that scorpions had enourmous, thorn-shaped teeth in front of their mouths. The fact that the entire animal was still glowing made it a bit less terrifying, though.  
A low purring sound rumbled through it when she rose and backed off again, her eyes fixed on Ekko. So fixed in fact that she almost jumped when she felt her back brush up against the Prince. He had watched the entire time, amused by how unfamiliar these beasts were for his friend. Aikka had his arm around her back once more to stop her from retreating further, yet he wasnt able to hide a small laugh at her surprised expression.

''Its not _funny! _'' she hissed at him half-seriously, and silent enough for only him to hear, which only made him chuckle further. It gained him a pinch to the side in response, though. He immediately jolted, trying to protect himself from further 'attacks'.  
Now it was her turn for a victorious smirk.__

___When she directed her attention towards the scorpion once more, she noticed he hadnt taken the treat just yet, but seemed to definately consider. Before doing anything else, Ekko turned towards his master, contemplative, somehow._  
Dirak spoke a word in nourasian, which seemed to be the signal Ekko had been waiting for.   
In a matter of seconds, the treat was devoured.   
''Good Boy.'' Again, the general gave him a firm pat on the head before looking away into the darkness of the basecamp. ''Its late. You two should get some rest. Lets go home.'' 

__Neither of them objected. As beautiful as the view of the nightsky had been, the warmth of a house and a place to rest seemed pretty tempting right now._ _

__~~~~~~~~_ _

__''Well.'' Dirak began upon entering the house, getting rid of his armour as well, his movements a lot stiffer compared to the previous day. The fight must have drained him a lot, understandably.  
''You two can toss a coin for who gets the bed and whos on the couch. Im afraid I dont really have other options here. Well, technically you can sleep in the chair, but I wouldnt recommend it. Believe me, I've done it.''_ _

__''And where do you sleep, if I may ask?'' Aikka chimed in while still looking around._ _

__''I've told you I have some things left to do. I can try to get Farid to keep watch overnight if you insist, but I wont be able to stay much longer. I agreed to take you two here because I remembered I had some paperwork I needed to send to the other outposts. I could order Ekko to watch over for the night as well instead of Farid. Think of a big, scaly watchdog. Probably a more convenient solution, honestly.'' He still faced the wall, his armour hanging in front of him. For a short moment, he had his eyes shut, rubbing at his temples. He took a deep breath, hiding most of his exhaustion when he turned to face his visitors._ _

__''Getting Ekko to keep an eye on the house is a good idea, I think.'' Eva leaned against the counter, combing through her hair absentmindedly. She only had her fingers to do so, but it worked. ''You should really get some rest soon, though.''_ _

__The prince simply aggreed with a nod. ''Then so be it. While youre at it, send a verification of my return to the royal court as well.''_ _

__Dirak bowed his head as a farewell, limping over to a small drawer to grab the previously mentioned paperwork, before heading outside once more._ _

__

__''Its.. sad, isnt it?'' Eva asked when he was gone, putting up her hair with a simple tie from her wrist. ''Had me wondering... Why is he in such a high military rank at his age? How do you qualify for a rank like his?''_ _

___Aikka used the opportunity to get a little closer. It took all the restraint he could gather to not pull her into a hug again.  
''Its not a rank you can just 'get into'. Some people could never be a General, no matter how much they train. You have to be able to lead entire troops into war, after all.'', he explained, a more serious tone in his voice now.   
''And have the guts to be the first one in line to run ahead. It takes dedication, of course, and a generals' training is the hardest of all. Has to do with the fact that they work closely with the royal court, and each one could potentially be the one to train the next royal heir one day.''_

__''So Canaan used to be a General too?''_ _

__''Exactly. Its a tradition for the prince or princess to leave the castle at a certain age, and be trained by the General the king chooses. You have to be _really _good at what youre doing to have that job cast upon you, though. Thats why another thing required for a General is strict loyality to the royal family and our kingdom. Thats why I trusted him with you, as well. There are only 7 Generals in total at the moment, so I've heard a couple of things about him over the years. The fact that hes still young and is the first one to tame a scorpion in 50 years made it a bit more intresting, though. Some of the other Generals doubted his qualification of course, his methods are different from theirs, as well. From what I have heard, he isnt as strict as the rest of them. Of course, he has his troops under control, but he is known to be a rather kind leader.''___ _

____''Makes sense. His people really seem to like him. Even though he looks evil.''  
Eva lifted herself up to sit on the edge of the counter, finally a bit closer to being at eye level with Aikka._ _ _ _

____''Yes, he does... Maybe thats why close to no one seems to try making problems, hm?'' he chuckled, trying not to look into her eyes for too long. She only returned the smile, though.  
''The others stopped doubting him when the accident happened, though. Mustve been three or four years ago already.. Well. It was insane to hear he managed to survive imprisonment by the Crogs, torture as well. He didnt even spill information, from what I have heard.. Youre right, its really kind of sad to see. I saw him maybe once or twice before the war, let me tell you, he was just a bit scarier then. Had some more muscle, definately. Ive heard he won a fistfight against a full grown Crog when he was in his prime. I have my doubts about that one, though.''_ _ _ _

____''Seems a bit unrealistic, even for someone his size.'' She contemplated for a second, but decided to put her hand on his when he placed it next to her, still standing in front of her._ _ _ _

____He looked towards the bedroom door shortly. ''Hmm..''_ _ _ _

____''What is it?'' Eva asked, trying to follow his gaze._ _ _ _

____''We dont have to flip a coin if we just share the bed, right? The couch seems awfully small...'' There was that certain bit of flirtyness in his voice again. The same kind he had had when they were younger, in the moments they had been granted to be carefree._ _ _ _

____''Well, if you insist..'' She placed her arms on his shoulders, careful not to brush against his wound. ''I suppose the bed is big enough for both of us.''_ _ _ _

____With a confident smile, he let himself get close enough to her to gently place his forehead against hers.  
''If I could use both my arms right now, there is no way I would not have already carried you there at this point.''_ _ _ _

____''You could make it a promise for when youre completely healed.'' she teased, playfully nudging him with her head._ _ _ _

____''Good idea~'' he laughed, taking the chance to let the bridge of his nose brush against hers. He knew she probably didnt know the meaning and impact of this gesture in his culture, but sure enough, she would understand one day.  
''I suggest we go lay down now, though. Its been a long day..''_ _ _ _

____''Sounds like a plan. And a bit like a sleepover.''_ _ _ _

____''Sleepover?'' he leaned back a little, one eyebrow raised in confusion._ _ _ _

____''You dont know what a sleepover is?'' she tilted her head a little, ''Its when a friend comes over and stays the night. You stay up really late and watch movies, eat snacks and stuff like that.''_ _ _ _

____''Ooooh, I see. I dont think we really have a word for that. The closest translation meant something.. different, though, so... good to know.''_ _ _ _

____Eva shook her head, sighing contently. ''The language barrier could be a problem looking forward.''_ _ _ _

____''Probably.''_ _ _ _


	16. The Pact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some plot. Also: THE SHIP IS SAILING (a little)

It wasnt long before the two of them found themselves on the bed, sitting across from each other. Their talk had not subsided, the sleepover-esque athmosphere somehow seeming to take away some of the exhaustion.   
A bowl of popcorn and an old movie were really the only thing missing, Eva thought.  
It was nice to finally talk freely with someone. Keeping secrets from almost anyone she knew for 5 years had been hard. Of course, it had stopped bothering her after a few months, but in this moment she could feel how relaxing it was to be with somebody that truly knew her. Maybe not _everything_ about her, but an essential part of her either way.

''Tell me though.'', she began, chin resting on her hands as she sat, looking up to face him, ''Whats the point of leaving the castle as a Royal? I mean, the generals are trusted and all, but cant they just train the heirs from there?''

''Its tradition.'' he shrugged, seemingly not too sure about the answer himself. ''Probably to get to know the world outside some more. Castle life can be a bit theoretical. And if you're going to be a leader one day, you should really know the planet you're going to rule over. And the generals usually are the best fighters, so theyre going to be the ones that teach, obviously. They know the planet really well too, thats why they work closely with the royal family.''

''Makes sense. There arent that many of them, you said.''

''Yes. Each one rules over part of the military. We've got outposts on the edge of the desert for example, they've got the largest beetles and sandspiders. Then there are the troops from the midlands, huge jungles, mostly uninhabitable. The hummingbird riders come from there.''

''I see.. Nourasia is not that different from earth, as it seems. Bigger perhaps. And more ancient. We used to have a huge jungle too, but.. Its not that big anymore, unfortunately.''

''Why? What happened?''

''We cut down the trees and used the land for agriculture. When we realized what that did to the overall planet we tried to stop. Well, at least some of us did. Now we're trying to regrow it somehow.''

''Oh.. I'm sorry, that sounds.. sad, really.''

''It is. The deserts are getting bigger and bigger though.'', she said, a sarcastic smirk on her face. ''But you dont have to be sorry. Its our own fault. Not my generations', though.''   
Before the silence could take over, she decided to switch topics.  
''So.. Which part does Dirak rule over? I've only seen forrest so far.''

''Oh, he leads the troops from the northern plains. Huge plateaus, lots of thick ferns and grass and stones. There are lots of mountains on the northern border, and its cold and windy most of the time.'' Aikka explained, leaning forward to sit properly. His brows were furrowed suddenly, as if he just recalled something. ''Thinking about it, his name is quite fitting.'', he added with a chuckle.

''Youre gonna have to explain that one.'' Eva shuffled a bit closer. Language was always interesting.

'' ' _Stroyrd_ ' means 'stone', or 'made of stone'. Funny, dont you think? I never really thought about it until now.''

''Really?'' she could almost not contain a laugh. 

Before she could add on, they were interrupted by a familiar beeping sound, coming from the windowstill. An incoming call to her laptop.

''Oh..'' she had almost forgotten. ''Thats... probaby dad.''

''Hm?'' He didnt seem to really get the connection.

Before the call could break up though, Eva jumped up, opening the laptop just in time.   
''...Dad?'' she asked, careful for now. 

''Eva?!'' The volume was up just a bit too much, she felt Aikka physically jump at the sudden, unsuspected voice.

''Yes, yes its me. Why are you calling?''

''Well, first because I wanted to ask how you are doing. Are you alright?''

''I am. There.. There was an attack on the battlefield today to my knowledge, but we are a safe distance from it, as far as I can tell.''

All of a sudden, she felt Aikka brush up against her, one hand on her shoulder, curiously eyeing the screen.   
''Thats your father, right?'' he asked, head tilted, still a bit baffled by the strange contraption. The expression was sort of cute on him, Eva thought, but couldnt let the thought linger for too long.

''Whos that?!'' Don asked, having immediately picked up the second voice.

''Thats just Aikka, dad.''

''Uh.. Hi, Mr. Wei..?'' the prince tried to immitate what Eva was doing, looking at her for affirmation. This whole thing was pretty strange.

''Hmpf. I guess.'' 

Eva rolled her eyes. He could have at least _tried_ to sound friendly.

''Well..'', he continued, clearing his throat dramatically. ''I.. also wanted to call you about something else..''

''What is it?'' Eva insisted, keeping her eyes on the patterns of her screen.

''So... I talked to the president..''

''You _what_?!'' her heart dropped as her eyes widened, her voice still steady.

''Yes, yes I know. You know,... I, Well, I could not just sit here and do nothing! You are my daughter, and I know that what you said is _technically_ the right thing, so.. i had to do _something_!''

''I know, but what did he say?!''

''I... We may be able to.. come to an agreement.''

''What do you mean?''

''I tried convincing him that collaborating with the Nourasian forces would be... beneficial. I also had the advantage of knowing about the Race and everything, and I know that I was not supposed to talk about it ever again, but it was the only way!''

''You didnt blackmail them, did you?'' 

''No. Well, only a tiny little bit. But I had a couple of good points anyway. Which gets me to another thing. I.. I told them you made an agreement with the Nourasian court, when we were in the race. I told them you made a pact when you were in the last race, since you both were the representatives of your planets. A pact to work together to keep the Crogs from winning, something like that. So. It would be really, _really_ good if you could kind of figure out a way to-''

''Mr. Wei, I think we really did that.'' Aikka spoke suddenly.

''What?''

''In the last race, I mean. I remember making a deal with your daugther back then, for exactly the reason you just said. About Nourasia and Earth joining forces, something like that.''

''Thats.. Well, good then. Youre the Prince, so I can count on your word as a binding promise, right?''

''I think so. My father will probably want to have a say in this, but for now, we need all the help we can get.''  
Eva felt his grip on her shoulder tighten.

''Okay. Im going to try to achieve what I can from here, and you try to speak to the King, or whoever is in charge over there. I can use the call as confirmation of this contract, right?''

''Yes, of course!'' Eva answered quickly, nodding slightly even though she knew he didnt see her without a video feed.

''Okay. I will tell you as soon as I know something new.'' A few moments of silence followed, then a long sigh. ''Take care of yourself, Eva. Love you.''

''Love you too, dad! Dont worry too much!'' She could not stop smiling.

''Oh, and one more thing.'', Don added finally. ''If anything happens to Eva, I will personally fly to Nourasia and rip your head off, Prince.''

''Thats alright.'' he simply answered, holding Eva just a bit closer, a more light tone in his voice now.

 

The call ended, and the two simply stood in the room for a few seconds, looking at each other in disbelief.

Then, they both started laughing, their cheers growing louder as they held each other, almost jumping from joy, like they were just little children again.

''I cant believe it!'' Eva wasnt sure if she had ever seen him smile so widely. She remembered his laugh, yet he sounded different now. They were both older after all. 

''If that all works out, we.. we may have a chance!'' they circled around each other, trying to find the words to contain their feelings, an impossible challenge.

This world may have a chance after all.   
They may just make it.  
If they joined forces, _there may just be a chance.._

Neither of them could tell how much time had passed when they finally stared to calm down. Their plan may just work out.  
It all felt too unreal.  
Too good to be real.  
Nourasia and Earth had been enemies for too long, it could not be.  
And yet..

They were only inches apart, holding on to each other like their lives depended on it.  
As if their minds had been linked, they reached to the other ones face simultaneously, pulling each other closer until their lips clashed, suddenly bound in an intense, needy kiss.   
For a moment, it felt like the clocks stopped ticking. Like the silence after lightning had hit, or white noise channeling through a radio, the world seemed to stand still.   
But it didnt last too long, both realizing what had just happened when they parted to gasp for air.  
Evas hands slowly slipped from Aikkas jaw, just like his hand left the back of her head, yet they still kept close, not able to look away.

 

''Uh.. Should I go, or..?''

They both jumped at the familiar voice suddenly tearing them back to reality.  
Farid stood in the doorframe, neither of them had noticed.

''I, uh..'' Aikka began, a lot paler all of a sudden. He cleared his voice, trying to sound serious now. ''If anyone apart from the three of us in this room finds out, I-''

''Yeah, yeah, put my head on a stake, have Scarabs eat me alive, heard it all. Dont worry, I can keep a couple of secrets.''


	17. The Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long break, work and internships and stuff have been a lot for me lately ^^' Also managed to catch a bad cold, so thats fun.  
> Enjoy this capter though, I think it turned out pretty decent.  
> Also yes thats Green Day (I own nothing please dont sue me). I just thought it fit her.

''Farid!'' Evas face lit up as she stepped forward, almost jumping in exitement, ''Youre not gonna believe it! We just spoke to my father and-''

''You're dating?'' he raised an eyebrow, leaning against the doorframe.

''No, even better!'' 

Aikka turned to her, a slighty betrayed look on his face.

''I gotta admid, thats a bit hard to believe compared to what I just saw, but fire away.'' Farid seemed _way_ too casual about this..

''My father may just be able to set up a possible alliance between Earth and Nourasia!''

''What?'' Farid leaned away from the doorframe, an expression on his face as if he had seen a ghost. ''You.. You're joking, right?''

Aikka shook his head in response.   
''We aren't. I gave my word. There will be negotiations first, and its not one hundred percent clear for now, but there is a chance.'' 

For a moment, Farid didnt say a word.   
Slowly, he began to realize. This would be the biggest chance they would get. If earth would really end up joining them, then...

They may be free once more.

It was absurd to him, his whole life had been spend as a soldier, at least most of what he remembered. All his life, they had been on the brink of war, just far away enough to make it seem impossible, nobody daring to even question their former alliance. And suddenly the war had swallowed this planet whole, along with its people.  
For 5 years, this world was being torn apart, a little further every day.

At first he grinned, then suddenly smiled, until he could not help but laugh out loud. 

Even the tiniest bit of hope had seemed so unreal, and they could not really depend on this plan working out...  
But still, it was nice to hope again. Really, really nice.

Before he could start crying from happiness, he pulled Eva close harshly, lifting her up just enough to twirl her around, almost falling over himself, still unabe to control his cackling, to which Eva had gladly joined in.

''Thank you!'' he put her down once more, still beaming brightly. ''Thank you, Eva from Earth! There is no way we could ever repay you, This, this is-'' he stopped suddenly, turning away, pressing the backside of his hand to his nose.   
''I'm sorry, uh..'' he quickly fidgeted a tissue from his pocket, using that instead.

''Whats the matter?'' she tilted her head, confused at the sudden change.

''Nosebleed. Gonna stop soon, Im very sorry..''

Just when he said it she could see the red stains on the cloth.  
''Oh.. take your time, its okay.''

''Thank you. It.. it happens sometimes.'' he gestured to the scar on his face, ''the cut was pretty deep, kinda messed up my sinuses. Only the left one though, so its alright I guess..''

''I see.'' 

After a few moments of awkward silence, Farid began talking once more.  
''So.. any ideas how you can get this plan of yours through?'' There was a little bit of worry in his voice now, realizing that it may be a lot more work than the first wave of exitement had made him think.

''Well..'', the prince began, stepping up to stand next to Eva, ''I was planning to talk to my father first, I'll send a letter tomorrow. Maybe we can set up a formal negotiation with the representatives of Earth. We will see how the discussion goes. But I believe its a big advantage that we _technically_ already made a pact during the Great Race.''

''Thats.. Good, I guess.'' Farid had leaned his head back a little to help stop the nosebleed, looking slightly ridiculous doing so. ''We'll just see how it turns out.''  
With a small chuckle, he turned to walk over to the sink. ''Earth and Nourasia joining forces.. Sounds like a joke, but I must admit it would be a good one!'' He put the tissue back into his pocket before turning on the tab, ''I doubt our good old general will like the idea though.''

Eva tilt her head at the remark. ''Because of his family? I've been meaning to ask about it, actually.''

''Yup. He's.. not been very fond of Earth ever since.''

''But what happened? I dont think Earth and Nourasia ever clashed in recent years..''

It took a moment for him to respond, mainly because he was busy washing his face.  
''I dont think I can tell you about it now. It's.. a complicated story. But you will find out sooner or later, maybe.''

''Pretty unsatisfying answer.'' Eva grunted. Something pretty strange must have happened if even Farid refused to tell her about it..

''I know.'' He wiped most of the water off of his face with his hand before standing up straight once more. ''But dont worry. I know him, he wont just refuse to cooperate. After all, he wants this war to end too.''  
He yawned, walking over to the couch before simply throwing himself on there.  
''Dont mind me, its been a long day. You should get some rest as well.''

''Yeah..'' the two younger ones admitted, though neither of them really believed they would be able to sleep after these news.

''I believe I dont have to go get a spare bed though, right?'' Farid asked, obviously teasing.

Before she even realized, Eva began blushing like a bashful teenager.   
''I mean, _no..._ were just _really_ good friends so its okay to-''

Farids cackling laugh interrupted her immediately. ''Alright alright, I get it. Just dont get shifty in there, the walls are thin.''

''Dont forget you are talking to your future king here, Sir Morriganis!'' Aikka chimed in, trying to at least establish some kind of dominance in this situation. 

''I know, I know..'' still grinning, he shook his head. ''If anyone else finds out about your secret makeout-sessions, youre going to be in a lot of trouble, though.''

''We know!'' They answered, simultaneously. 

Much to their surprise, Farid only shrugged.  
''Eh, not like I know what to tell you. Youre going to know what the right thing to do is eventually, I guess.'' 

~~~~~

 

They went back to simply sitting on the bed again, facing each other, but suddenly not really able to look each other in the eyes anymore.  
At least not without the initial awkwardness.

''So..'' the young prince began once more, pointing at Evas old music-playing device. Of course she had taken it with her, for now she had only stored it on top of the rest of her luggage on the foot of her bed, though.   
''What is this? I've been meaning to ask you back on Oban, but I forgot..''

''Oh, thats just an old music player. I got it as a birthday gift for myself when I was still in school. Its pretty good, I enhanced some of its features.''

''Thats intresting!'' he looked at her hands as she went to grab it from the pile, a bit intrigued by the outward design. ''What did you change?''

''Oh, I played around with the sound settings first.'' she shuffled closer to sit next to him, proudly showing off the device. ''Then I put in some new cablework to make the speakers better. Louder, and with more bass.'' She opened the player, pointing to some seemingly self-made parts. 

''Ah, I see..'' He followed her movements, leaning more against her ever so slightly.

''And then I added some transmitters so I could listen to radio stations as well. And a USB port. Its old technology, but it works.'' At that, she closed the player, turning it to show off the new plugs. ''Also got it a new paint job. Kind of cringy, but..''

''I think its cute.'' he smirked, looking at the desing some more. ''It fit your style, too.''

''I guess..'' She returned the smile, elbowing his side lightly.

''And what kinds of songs do you have on there?''

''A bit of everything. Some Soundtracks, some electronic, rock.. Its more about liking a particular _song_ rather than a genre, I think.''   
She pressed a button, some lights on the device turning on immediately.  
Just a few seconds went by before the sounds of an ever so slightly untuned guitar wallowed through the room. Eva turned down the volume a little, remembering Farids remark about thin walls earlier.  
''Oh, this is an old one. It's good though. Really liked the band when I was younger.''

_'Well I ain't got much time so I'll get to the point_  
Do you wanna share a ride and get the fuck out of this joint?  
I've got an impulse so repulsive that it burns  
I wanna break your heart until it makes your stomach turn' 

''Huh..'' He listened closely. Earths music was new to him, and while most of the intrumental parts he could pick out werent so foreign in this part of the galaxy, the way, or the feel of music was a little different from what he knew. 

_'I got to know if you're the one that got away  
Even though it was never meant to be_

_Say you'll stay the night  
'Cause we're running out of time' _

''This is... Kind of..'' he leaned to her side more, putting his arm behind her back, leaning with his hand on the bed. ''Neat, isnt it?'' His smile was more genuine now, letting the music resonate with the moment.

_' So stay the night_  
I don't wanna say goodbye  
Say you'll stay the night  
'Cause we're running out of time  
So stay the night  
Well I don't wanna say goodbye' 

''Glad you like it!'' She grinned widely. It had been ages since she last listened to this song, yet it still held so many feelings for her, so many memories..  
She could not help but tap her feet a little, maybe even swaying, ever so slightly.

_'Well you're so sick and tired of feeling so alone_  
Well I don't understand the point if you have to go home  
So won't you stay and count the circles 'round my eyes?  
And we can watch the stars until the sun begins to rise' 

''You know what me and a couple of good friends used to do while listening to music like this?'' she asked, turning to him with a sudden light of exitement in her eyes.

''No, but I'd like to find out!'' 

''Can you dance?'' she asked, already jumping off the bed, holding out a hand, like an offering.

_'I got to know if you're the one that got away  
Even though it was never meant to be..' _

''Well, I havent really tried it out specifically, but I dare say I can coordinate movements-''

''Then get over here!'' she pulled him to his feet as soon as his hand had touched hers, and right into the middle of the room where there was a little more space, the only thing keeping him from losing his balace and falling over being her firm grip and counter-balance as she made them twirl around each other for now, not able to hide her giggling. 

_'Say you'll stay the night_  
'Cause we're running out of time  
So stay the night  
I don't wanna say goodbye  
Say you'll stay the night  
'Cause we're running out of time  
So stay the night  
I don't wanna say goodbye' 

She controlled the movements for the most part, mostly consisting of turns or steps, but she put enough enery and exitement into it to make it feel like one hell of a lot more.   
At some point, they had both started to laugh, just letting the lightness of the moment flow through.   
If only it could have been like this from the start, they thought, if only this _lightness_ had never been hidden from them.. Not back then, not five years ago, not three days ago, not an hour ago...

Whenever possible, their eyes locked, the awkwardness gone as long as the sound of guitars and drums carried them, their steps closer, yet still energetic.

One wrong step, and with the closeness of their feet, they moved against one another, falling over in the movement.   
In the last possible second, Aikka had manaed to grab Eva close, allowing her to land on top of him.

_'I gotta know if you're the one that got away  
Even though it was never meant to be_

_Say you'll stay the night...'_

Their laughter was louder than the music, at least to them.   
As the last tunes of music went by, they still fought back tears, the hilarity of it all still as a firm grasp around them both.

Eva raised her head from where she had it nuzzled against his neck, still chuckling when she looked into his eyes again.

A few moments went by, her hand having found its way up to the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer just a bit.  
Neither of them questioned what the other was thinking, simply moving in closer to finish what had been interrupted before.  
Maybe a little more tender this time, though.


	18. The Beginning of Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long break (again), been a bit busy with everything.   
> Its a bit hard to fill in spaces between plotpoints I have planned, so...  
> if you have any ideas or suggetsions or just something you wanna see, just tell me. I'm always happy to hear it!  
> (next chapter will be a bit longer though, I'm trying my best)

The next morning, the two of them woke rather late, still in the same position they had fallen asleep in.   
The bed really had been big enough for both of them, yet they had huddled together, arms wrapped around each other losely.   
It was still a bit odd to be close like that. Neither had really felt like this in the years they had spend apart, and knowing that what they did was in no way acceptible in the society they were in only made it worse.  
But as long as they were within these four walls, they were free. They both knew that.   
As long as Farid would keep his word and not betray them, they would be able to be like this, only for a couple of hours at least.   
Of course it would have been nicer to be able to be close in public, but... When had it been easy for either of them, anyway?  
It was just another thing they would have to make do with.

 

''Psst, hey?'' Eva asked, so silently it was barely a whisper. She could not see his face, as hers was still nuzzled to his neck. 

''Hm..?'' Aikka responded immediately, voice still a bit rough from sleeping.

''You up?'' 

''Hm-hm..'', he hummed with an amused tone, resting his head on hers a bit longer.

''Wanna go get some breakfast..?'' her free hand trailed up his back until it reached the collar on his neck.

''Sounds lovely.'' he stretched his shoulders carefully. They were still pretty stiff and sore, but he could feel it was already better than the previous day. In a few more weeks it should be healed completely, he thought.  
''Though I have to admit this is awfully comfortable at the moment.''  
He shifted a bit until he could rub the side of his face against hers, pressing a single kiss to her cheek. 

''True.'' she returned the gesture, yet placed her kiss on his throat, right where a pulse could be felt on humans. It was slightly different with Nourasians, still she felt him twitch slightly, backing away.

''C-careful there!'' he elaborated, not looking her straight in the eyes for now. Eva could clearly see the blush on his face, though.

''Awww, youre that ticklish?'' she teased, moving in again to continue her assault on his neck, grinning mischievously.

''Yes, yes I- he-hey, Molly!'' he laughed, trying to get away, but not really putting enough effort into it to really mean it. 

A part of her felt like leaving a hickey on him, but the voice of reason far outweighed that thought. It would be too hard to explain later, too much of a risk.  
That didnt stop her from tormenting him a bit further for now, though.   
Her hands moved downward to sneak under his shirt as she suddenly sat up, pushing him onto his back in one swift motion, straddling him as her fingers dragged over his sides, making him dissolve into laughter beneath her.

''S-stop, hey!'' he demanded, silenced by his own cackling as much as Evas victorious giggles.

She still kept herself close to his neck, using her weight to keep him from struggling too hard as she shifted her kiss into a gentle bite, teasing further.  
At that, he stopped resisting, looking at her wide-eyed.  
''What the hell..'' he muttered, a crooked grin forming on his face.

''First time you got bit?'' Eva asked, using her hands to lean on the bed now, keeping herself above him as she repeated the love-bite on the other side of his neck.  
She swore she could sense the shiver running down his spine.

''Do that one more time..'' he sat up slightly, using his arm to wrap around her, closing the gap between them. ''And its _on_ , princess.''

Without a second thought, she nipped at his jawline before looking into his eyes again.   
''Like that?''

He moved in swiftly, giving her a brief kiss on the mouth.   
''Exactly like that.''   
In a matter of seconds, he had used his grip on her to turn, her back hitting the matress, their positions swapped now. He was over her now, yet kept his torso propped up with one arm so he would not put his whole weight on her.  
At first, he only intensified the kiss he had shared moments before, before adjusting to kiss down her neck.

''Whoh..'' so tasting ones' own medicine was not always a bad thing. Her hands moved around him to his shoulders. ''Where'd you learn that?''

''I didnt.'' he smirked as he reached her collarbone, ''I copied it from you.''   
Just as his lips hit her skin once more, they heard the door open with a squeak.

''Hey guys, just wanted to tell you I went out to get some break- OH GOD'' Farid pulled the door back rapidly until it was only open by a smidge. ''I uh, I disturbed something there didnt I?'' he asked awkwardly.

As startled as they were, the two younger ones slowly got away from each other, acknowledging their short moment of romace was over.  
''No, its alright, you can come in..'' The prince said, slightly annoyed.

''Oh well, then!'' Farid stepped in, keeping one hand on the doorknob. ''So, if you want to eat something, its on the counter. I'll be heading out shortly, got to catch up on some work from yesterday.''

Eva got up, jumping out of bed, followed by Aikka soon after.  
Farid sat down on the chair in the livingroom once more, head resting on one hand.  
''You two need to be a little more careful, you know! At this rate, the whole kingdom will know by the end of next week!'' he scolded half-seriously as the others went to the previously mentioned bag of pastries on the counter. Mostly the same ones Eva had eaten once before, so nothing too extravagant.

''I know, I know.'' she sighed, chewing on one of the cricket-pastries. ''Coming to think of it though, how come you dont seem to have a wife yet?'' 

''Probably because I'm gay.'' he shrugged, folding his arms before him.

''Oh.'' she took another bite, leaning her back against the counter casually. ''Good reason.''

''Yeah.''

Suddenly, the front door opened, letting some more light in as the General stepped inside.  
For a moment, no one said a word.  
He looked extremely tired, his eyes bloodshot, shoulders slouched, the limp in his step more than apparent now.  
He removed the plated armour, hanging it on the hook near the door before facing the people in the room.

''Morning.'' he greeted, his voice dark and rumbly. He headed for the couch, his jaw clenched tightly.   
Must have been one of the days where his knee was worse than normal, Eva thought.

''Have you slept at all?'' Farid asked, rasing one eyebrow. 

''Had no time.'' Dirak grunted in return, letting himself fall onto the couch, taking a deep, reliefed breath.

''Hmpf.'' it was probably the angriest look Eva had seen on Farids face yet, even if it was more of a concerned expression, rather than furious.  
''Are you at least gonna eat something?'' he added, turning to face his friend properly.

''Later.'' he layed one arm over his eyes, blocking out some of the light.

''It was 'later' two days ago, remember?!'' Now, there was indeed a spark of real anger in Farids voice. 

''Two days ago?'' Eva asked, swallowing the last bite of her pastry.

''You heard me.'' Farid nodded before directing his voice at his friend again. ''You wont go on like this much longer, you know?!''

''I can. And I will. You know that.'' he sounded more quiet already, the exhaustion making it hard to stay awake at all.

''I know that thats bullshit!'' he hissed, eyebrows furrowed. ''Sleep before you hurt yourself though, for fucks sake..''

''Tch..'' the general chuckled, one corner of his mouth pulled up in a crooked grin.

Farid rested his head on his hand again, still looking more than annoyed.  
''Are you two gonna come to the bonfire tonight though?''

''What bonfire?'' Eva asked while trying to brush through her hair with her fingers, in an attempt to at least tame the tangled strands a little bit.

''I suppose you saw the lights in the sky yesterday?''

''Yup. Dirak told us it indicates the changing of seasons..?''

''Exactly. Normally there would be a huge festival, thanking the gods for the harvest and stuff. But since we're at war we cant really do that, so the soldiers decided we just put up a big bonfire somewhere and eat and drink a bunch.''

''Sounds nice!'' she looked over to Aikka, who was still busy with devouring his share of the breakfast, only nodding in response.

''I advise you to stay away from Nourasian liqour though. I dont know where the guys always get that sorta stuff, but you can start fires with it. Theres gonna be what you Earth people would call 'wine' though, I think. Thats not _as_ bad.''

Aikka swallowed, finally able to take part in the discussion now.  
''Come on, we're not lightweights like that, right?'' he elbowed Evas' side, looking at her for confirmation.

''Pff, what do I know?'' Farid shrugged his shoulders. ''Dare say 20-somethings dont usually have as much experience with it.''

''Well, I'm used to drinking a little something on the holidays...'' Eva started, curling a strand of her hair innocently. ''Dont remember ever getting _really_ drunk though.''

''Well I do.''   
Evas head snapped to Aikka, not expecting an answer like that.   
He folded his arms before himself, looking away with a slightly uncomfortable smirk.  
''Well, I'm from the Royal family, you know! Theres some drinking involved all the time!''

She raised her eyebrows.

''You know-! My parents handle most of the talking in big meetings and such, and sometimes these take _hours_.. It gets boring!''

''I see..'' Eva seemed a little intrigued, while Farid burst out in laughter.

''Wh-.. What?! I suppose you _military guys_ never got drunk during training years, _just as the code demands it?_ '' 

''Pff. Of course we did.''

''Aha..!''

''Was a bit of a competition sometimes too, just for the hell of it. Especially during those trainings where we just had to stand around in one place outside for hours and listen to some douchebag yelling something about something they think was important.. Being the dumb teenagers we were, we just saw who could get the drunkest and not be found out about.''

''That.. doesnt sound very soldier-like, I must admit.''

''Where I'm from, it does, actually..'' Eva muttered.

''I know, I know.. Well, as I said, we were young and dumb. The one time we got that guy over there to participate was absolutely hilarious though.'' He pointed over to where Dirak still layed, apparently already asleep.

''Even _him?!_ '' the prince gestured towards the couch.

''Yup.'' farid grinned. ''I remember it. Man, that was a sight... You know, he just stood there as always, first one in line because General-to-be and stuff, he didnt move an inch. We all knew he must've been hammered, he could drink _a lot_ when he was still healthy. So yeah, he stood there, already an hour into the lecture, and as the drill sergeant came around to the front rows again, he just goes _Sir, we can hear you. Stop yelling._. In the most deadpan voice possible.''

''And he didnt immediately get banned?'' 

''Nope. The whole scorpion-rider slash future-General thing made that kind of hard anyways. It was a misstep in obedience, but eh, everyone had those at some point. Cant really afford to just throw out anyone, even back then. He was screamed at for a good 5 minutes and then they were fine. Didnt even flinch though. I doubt he remembers at all.''

Eva chuckled. ''Well, I hope no one gets yelled at at the bonfire tonight.''

''No. We're allowed to drink as much as we want when we're out of training. The only yelling you're gonna whitness would be if someone decides to put up a sparring competition. I doubt anyone really feels like doing that though, got plenty of real fights nowadays.''

''Well, I'm looking forward to it!'' she beamed brightly. There was a lot of harsh stuff ahead of them, so a get-together really was a welcome change of pace.  
Maybe she would be able to learn a bit more about this culture as well.  
Either way, she was looking forward to it.


	19. The Bonfire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo that took long to write lol.  
> managed getting it done A DAY before my next internship starts though, so... yay me!  
> (also special thanks to Lin for beta-reading haha)

Most of the day was spend indoors.  
Composing a letter to send to the king was a hard enough task, after all. 

The General didnt seem to be bothered by their discussions, yet he had gotten up about two or three hours after crashing on the couch, sluggishly putting his armour back on before heading out once more. He didnt speak a word before leaving.

 

Just when the sky started turning slighty red, hints of orange painting the clouds, there was a knock on the door.

''Come on in!'' Eva declared, hands busy with neatly folding the sheets of paper.

The door swung open, crashing against the wall ever so slightly. At the sudden noise, the young prince nearly jumped, not really having paid attention as he was still busy writing.  
The mangled arm had made it a bit tricky, but much to Evas' surprise, it was pretty common to be ambidextrous on this planet. Not entirely, but certainly more common than it was on earth.

''Greetings, youngsters!'' Farid chimed in, the usual grin on his face. 

''Youre not _that_ much older than we are if I recall it right, Sir Morriganis..'' Aikka remarked. He layed down the pen at last, knacking the joints on his hand to relax. 

''Eh, old enough.'' he shrugged, pointing out of the window right after. ''You said you wanted to join the bonfire earlier, right?''

''We did.'' 

The prince gave a quick nod towards the clock on the wall. ''Its starting already?'' 

''Well, its set up quite a bit away. Would be too dangerous to do it right here. Some spells for protection have been set up already, but its better to be extra safe.''

Eva chuckled slightly. ''And how is everyone going to get back home when theyre drunk?''

''Thats easy.'' his smirk widened as he crossed his arms, ''The mounts know the way.''

Eva sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. ''Well, I guess so.''

''Oh, while we're at it..'' Farid added, already heading for the door, ''I think theres someone here you'd like to meet.''

Confused at the statement, they followed outside.  
Farid led them away from the base and into the forrest, not yet providing more information.  
The trees outside were still green, yet Eva noticed the leaves already looking a bit paler, hues of red and orange staring to take over, sort of similar to what she knew from earth.  
She already wondered what winter would be like..

When they reached a small clearing about a minute or two away from the Generals' house, they understood what Farid had been hinting at.  
It was indeed a surprise, but certainly a welcome one.

Eva recognized the huge beetle immediately. Her grin grew, nostalgia washing over her as the animal turned to face them.

''G'Dar!'' the prince yelled exitedly, running the last few meters to meet the creature halfway. The beetle seemed to be just as happy to see its master, practically running him over, screeching loudly as it rubbed its enormous face against him.   
Aikka laughed loudly, yet sounded sort of strangled as he was still pretty much being crushed by about 10 tons of affectionate scarab.

''Hey, Big fella' !!'' Eva got closer slowly, not sure if G'Dar would even remember her after such a long time. The memory of that one time she snuck into the nourasians' pit back on Alwas came to mind immediately, for some reason.  
G'Dar raised his head up at her voice, giving his master an opportunity to breathe.

''Remember her, boy?'' he asked, beaming brightly, not getting up from the ground just yet.  
Before he could add anything else, the beetle jumped up and off him, hopping over to Eva, almost knocking over a few small trees.   
Eva was pressed to the trunk of another tree behind her in a matter of seconds, a bit intrigued by the high shrieks and screeches of the creature, but happy he seemingly did remember. The next thing she knew was a big lick over her face though. Insect tounges were weird, but it wasnt that different from what being greeted by an overly exited dog was like, she thought.

''Of course he does!'' she declared, rubbing over the beetles' head in return. ''We're buddies!''

''Well, he does have a good taste in allies!'' Aikka chuckled, dusting some of the dirt off of his clothes.

~~~~~

With the help of G'Dar, they reached the pseudo-campsite in a matter of minutes, even though it really was a good distance from the base.

The fire itself was already burning, sparks flying up into the dimming sky. It was larger than Eva had anticipated, providing space around it for at least 50 people. There were a couple more gathered already, probably around 100 soldiers or so in total.

The smell of smoke and burning wood surrounded them when they set down. Hints of something roasting as well. If she had to guess, it was meat, or something meat-like. Something smelled slightly sweet as well. As hungry as she was, she was more than exited to see what awaited them.

All around the fire, there were logs and stones to sit on, some big enough to act as tables, a lot of bottles, bowls and whatnot arranged on them.

''Whats better than a good old harvest celebration..'' The prince sighed, smiling at the sight. ''Not as extravagant as I remember them being, but still.''

''Well, we're working on making that possible again~'' Eva elbowed his side, glancing up to him.

~~~~

It didnt take long until it was completely dark, the lights in the sky even brighter than when they first appeared.   
The fire was burning more furiously now, the embers and coals glowing deep within. Thousands of sparks spread over the sky, glimming like a cluster of fireflies before falling down as pieces of dark, grey ash.   
The loud crackling of the flames was oddly comforting, they had settled down a good few meters from it, but Eva still felt the heat on her face.

The General arrived shortly after sundown, a small troop of soldiers right behind him.   
Most, like him, had gotten there on ground-based mounts. Ekko seemingly wasnt the only species that could glow in the dark, a vast majority seemed to illuminate slightly in the presence of the fire.

''Ey! Buddy!'' Farid called exitedly, running up to his friend the second he got off of his mount. ''Good to see you here after all!'' With a firm pat on the shoulder, he pulled the taller man with him to a nice place near the fire, only a couple of feet away from where Eva had settled with the prince, practically next to them, but keeping to themselves.

Of course, Eva had to be careful tonight. It had only been a few days for them to be close, but apart from Farid, no one could know about their familiarity. Of course it would have been nicer to spend the evening huddled together near the bonfire, enjoying the calm and joyful athmosphere for once, but they did not have much of a choice after all.

 

''Well..'' Dirak chuckled, hair still messy from his helmet as he tried combing it back with his hand, ''You know I've always liked fires. And booze is always a plus.''

''Yeah..'' for some reason, Farid sounded a little more thoughtful at the statement than Eva anticipated. She felt a little guilty for listening, but they werent far enough away for it to be evesdropping either.  
''Speaking of which-'' Faird continued, whistling over to a younger-looking person carrying a huge platter, topped with a lot of various glasses. ''Time to have some.''

Apparently, it was nourasian custom to down the first glass in one swoop. It was what those two did, at least.  
Well, maybe it was just them.

''What is this, though?'' She asked over to Aikka when they were being offered a few moments later.

''Its a sort of wine, made from a kind of berry that only grows around here. Its the frst thing harvested in spring, and by the time of this festival, its ready to drink. Pretty mild, but I'd still be careful.''   
They each took a glass, waiting for the carrier to pass.  
''So..'' Aikka continued, ''You saw how its done around here?''   
So it wasnt just the two..

She nodded, raising the glass. ''We can combine customs though.''

He grinned slightly, clanking the edge of his glass to hers. ''Right.'', he winked, ''7 years.''

The wine really was mild, more on the sweet side, actually. Not as bitter as most of the ones she has had back on earth. Delishious, even. Easy to down as well.

''Whats the reason behind downing it though?'' she asked when she was done, placing the empty glass on the ground by her feet.

''To my knowledge, doing it like that with a friend is good luck. Said to keep the friendship strong until the next festival.'' 

''I see.'' she smiled. ''Funny how similar some things are, right? Even though Nourasia and Earth are so far apart.''

''True.'' 

~~~~~~~

A relatively big buffet was opened shortly after, filled with all kinds of meat, strange-looking vegetables, fruits, and even more diverse kinds of liquors.  
Fortunately, Aikka talked her through most of it, even though he himself didnt know a few of the presented things.  
While insect-meat was still a bit foreign to her, it wasnt all bad. Not bad at all, even.   
A good portion of the spices in different kinds of dishes were similar to a couple of things she knew from earth.   
It was a bit different with the drinks, though.   
After the first few she tried, she noticed something strange.   
No matter how strong the drinks were told to be, she didnt really taste the alcoholic parts of it. From her memory, all alcoholic drinks had at least a hint of it, a slight bitter something, of course even burning in almost pure liquors.  
But in those drinks at the bonfire, she couldnt taste it. Not even a little bit.

''Weird..'' the prince commented, raising an eyebrow in thought. 

''Thats normal.'' She heard the General speak all of a sudden. She looked over to where he was, chewing on a piece of what was described to her as bread.

''What do you mean?''

Eerily unimpressed, he continued to chew for a few seconds before finally swallowing to talk.  
''Humans cant taste most nourasian alcohol. Dont have the tastebuds for it, I think. You may just detect the really strong ones, but very mildly. Human alcohol is borderline toxic for us, in turn. Well, not toxic, you just cant get or keep it down.''

Eva looked over to Aikka for a second, before facing back to Dirak, a very confused look on her face. ''How.. How do you know that?''

He shrugged his shoulders, leaning back a bit before swallowing the last bite of the bread. ''You've got your secrets, I've got mine. I've been around a bunch.'' 

''And if I order you to answer?'' Aikka chimed in, seemingly just as intrigued by the vague phrasing as Eva was.

Dirak only shook his head, a slight, deep rumble in his voice as he chuckled.   
''That woudnt be any fun, would it?'' 

''Yeah it would be!'' Farid laughed, already a bit tipsy as it seemed.

''Well, you must have had contact with humans at some point, with you wife and such.'' Eva recalled, only to gain a surprised expression from Aikka next to her.

''His _what?_ ''

''Ooh, here we go..'' The general muttered, downing the rest of the drink he still had.

''Didnt you see the little shrine-thingy in his house?'' she asked, gesturing a bit to undermine her statement.

''That was for a _wife_? I thought something happened to his family here, you know, those sticks were made from red willow branches...''

''Well, his kids too, so I guess it could be-''

'' _KIDS?_ '' he kept his voice down, occasionally glancing over to Dirak. While the prince seemed rather unsettled, the General himself didnt look shaken.   
Finally, Aikkas gaze settled on the man.   
''You know that its _strictly_ forbidden for Generals to marry, let alone have kids, right?'' he didnt sound angry, but maybe just because he was whispering. 

''Oh come on,'' Farid leaned over, one arm around Diraks neck. ''Its not like its the first time it happened! I couldnt tell you about a single person around here that always lived by every single rule of the code. Or, any person in the whole military, even!''

''But hes a _General_ , its a bit of a big deal..?!''

''Either way..'' Dirak spoke up, the look in his eyes a bit sharper now as he stared back at them, that subtle tone in his voice that made your blood run cold, ''Theyre dead, Sire. It doesnt matter anymore now, does it?'' He almost spat out the words, but it didnt look like he was trying to start a fight of any kind. 

''Well... I guess so.'' Aikka sat back. ''Sorry for what happened, though. Lets just hope we find a way to win these battles soon. Even though its technically a mayor offense, its still deeply wrong that you lost your family in the war.''

''Not _this_ war..'' Eva murmured, sipping on her drink.

''Hm?''

''I'll tell you later.'' she brushed it off, raising her hand to gently pat the side of Aikkas face, before rapidly pulling it back. Not being hands-on after a whole night of cuddling together closely was a bit difficult, still.

~~~~

They switched themes quickly, avoiding any more awkwardness for now.   
After a while, everyone had settled a bit closer to the fire, mostly just talking and drinking.   
Apart from the bread, Eva noticed she had not seen the General really eat something this evening. Some fruit perhaps, but definately not enough for a man his size. She would not mention it, though.

''So..'' Farid started, looking up at his friend, putting another empty glass to the array by his feet. ''How about starting a chant? We havent done a good old chant in ages!''

''Yeah!'' some other soldiers from around them declared, instantly approving the idea.

''Farid, we're not drunk teenagers anymore.''

''Oh come ooonnnn~'' he elbowed his friends' side, who crossed his arms, but could not hide a slowly growing smirk.   
''Come ooooooooonnnnn, youre the group-dad!'' Farid didnt seem to be anyway near giving it up. The people around were growing louder as well, gathering to support Farids initial idea. He didnt stop nudging at Dirak with his arm, especially when he noticed the smile, getting more and more pushy. The General didnt waver just yet.  
''Come oooon, dad!'' Farid laughed, gesturing to the people, ''We all want to, right?!''

The exited calls and yells of affirmation were loud enough to make Evas' ears ring, at last..

''See? Come ooon, daaaad! Daddy!''   
Ever so slightly, Dirak seemed to give in, starting to laugh at the remark.  
Farid really was a funny guy, Eva thought, trying to surpress her own giggling.

''I seeee you laughing, I know you want to, too, oh great scorpion-riding, crog-slaying master-dad! Father!! Give us some sugar!'' 

At that, not even Aikka could hold back laughter.

''Alriiight, alright..'' The General spoke, pushing Farid back a little with a firm grip on his head, sighing with a defeated smile on his face. ''Old blockhead..''

''Whooh! Fuck yeah!'' Farid raised his fists with exitement, almost drowned out by the cheering folk around them. 

Dirak cleared his throat, thinking for a moment before starting to tap his foot on the ground. After a few beats, the people started chiming in, most either snapping their fingers or clapping, adding more layers to the sound echoing through the darkness.  
His singing-voice was just as dark and low as Eva had anticipated it to be. She didnt know what he was saying, or the chanted answers he recieved from those around, other than picking up that the verses vaguely rhymed at times. 

''An old marching-chant.'' Aikka explained, whispering. 

''Whats it about?'' 

''Oh, the usual. Unity, friendship, loyality.. typical soldier-stuff.''

''I see..''

For now, she just sat back and listened.   
Even though she didnt understand a word, it was nice to just listen, letting the overall feeling of the chant do the work.   
One day, she would participate, she thought. Maybe she would even be able to learn at least some of the language over time. It was a big part of their culture, after all.   
She had to admit that this was very different from what was known about Earths' military. The way those soldiers interacted, with each other and even their leaders, was so vastly different from what she had expected, it almost felt surreal.   
And it was better this way.   
It was better to have leaders you could trust, not just following blind orders. She knew that back home, it seemed like the ones of lowest ranks did the most work, while the big rulers leaned back and just watched. It was death without reason, without a meaning behind it. Just one more letter in the big grey field of collateral damage.  
She did not know if everyone lead the way Stroyrd did. Maybe he was just young, his methods different from the rest of the Generals. Maybe, it was just Farids bright and welcoming personality, spreading through the people under their command through his close work with the General. 

Perhaps, it was only trust that held everyone so closely together.  
In the end, it didnt really matter.

 

The chant ended soon enough, yet a good handful of people remained around them. 

Farid leaned forward to face Eva a little more properly.   
''That was fun, wasnt it? We used to do those all the time back in the academy!'' He gave Dirak a firm pat on the back, firm enough in fact to make him choke on his drink.

''Dude!'' he coughed, ''Careful!''

Farid only laughed harder in response. ''I was being careful! You're just getting fragile!''

''Oh, _fragile!?_ '' he straightened his back. ''I'll show you fragile next time we spar.''

''We could do it right now, old man!'' Farid jumped up, just a little unsteady on his feet. He had been drinking a lot after all.

''Oh come on, thats ridiculous, we-''   
He was cut off by the encouraging 'Do it!'-chants from behind. It started as maybe two or three people yelling, but it quickly grew into a much louder voice.  
After about half a minute of deafeningly loud suggestions from the troops around, the General sighed, standing up slowly, but with a crooked grin.  
''Well, I guess I dont have a choice, then..''  
Slowly, he walked up to his friend who had already chosen a good space between the fire and the first rows of benches, big enough to grant a safe ''fight''.

Even more people than before started gathering, trying to get a good place for watching.

''Does this happen often around here?'' Eva asked towards Aikka beside her.

''Well.. Yes, actually.'' he admitted, quickly getting another drink. 

 

''Remember the rules: You dont hit my face, I wont hit your leg. Deal?'' Farid reached out with his hand, the deal being set when his friend completed the fistbump. 

''Deal. Man, how long has it been since you last got your ass handed to you? Three years? Four?'' he mocked, backing away a bit to get some space between the two of them before the spar could start.

''Last time I checked, we were evenly matched, meathead!'' Farid raised his fists confidently, grinning. ''Bring it on.''

The fight started a lot more apruptly than Eva had anticipated, the first few hits echoing over the place before she even realized it had begun. Even through the intoxication, farid was _a lot_ faster than he looked like, yet the General didnt look swayed by the hits, blocking most with his arm or dodging out of the way. His movements were a little smoother than Farids, calculating with menacing accuracy.  
He backed out of the way a bit further, starting to fidget with the plates of his armour, taking it off tauntingly slow, keeping it over his outstretched hand for a second before dropping it, much to the applause of the onlookers. 

''Pretty ostentatious if you ask me.'' Eva commented, yet having to admit that it was a rather interesting way of asserting dominance.

''True. Maybe its just because Morriganis doesnt have his armour with him, though.''

 

''You really feel like getting some extra bruises, huh?'' Farid came forth once more, aiming his attacks a little higher this time, really managing to push the taller man back by the shoulder this time.

''I dont think you'll manage to actually bruise me, my friend!'' he grabbed Farids arm, twisting it behind his back before pushing him away harshly.  
Farid managed to stay on his legs, immediately turning to attack once more, even quicker this time.

For a while, it seemed to really be an even match, a cluster of aimed and blocked hits and dodges, looking more like a lesson of martial arts than a real fight. The fire raging in the background only added to the athmosphere, illuminating their clashing figures in deep shades of red and black.

The spar seemed to be over after a few minutes, the crowd still cheering on.  
One wrong movement, and Farid found himself in a headlock, trying to free himself as harshly as possible.

''See, Farid? You always forget that move!'' Dirak teased, not losening his grip as he walked toward his seats once more.

''Oh shut it!'' Farid sounded a bit strangled, still grabbing and pushing his friends' arm vividly. It kind of reminded Eva of a cat trying to free itself from a collar. Funny enough to make her laugh, at least.

Just when the General sat back down on his seat, Farid started one last attempt, smirking viciously all of a sudden, raking his hands over Diraks' unprotected side.  
Instantly, the tall man tensed up, a never before seen look of terror on his face.

''Farid, dont you dare..!''  
His threat got ignored immediately as Farid kept his assault going, directing it more towards the Generals' ribs, which was slightly more effective, even.  
''Fa- No! Stop it!'' he tried to fight him off, even freeing his friend from the headlock, his words being cut off by his own cackling laugh. Right the second he did that, he got pushed to the ground, not able to react as quickly as he was pinned, a victorious look on Farids face as he kelt over his friend, keeping him in place as he still didnt let go of his sides. Diraks' laugh grew louder and louder.

''Hah! Got you, bitch!'' Farid declared, not even thinking about letting go now.

In a way, the Generals' laugh was.. a bit frightening, though. Eva had concluded that he reminded her of the typical Hollywood-villain before, and hearing his laugh only undermined that claim. A lot, in fact.  
The way his deep, uncontrolled laughter echoed in the athmosphere only made it worse. It was deeply unsettling, in a way. After a few seconds, the cheers of the crowd ebbed down, until only that menacing laughter ran over the area.   
Eva looked around, finding that she wasnt the only one seemingly taken aback.

Luckily, Farids mercy came soon enough, pulling his friend back up to his feet.

''Oh-.. oh god I hate you..'' Dirak snickered under his breath, sitting back down on the bench, shaking his head in exhaustion.

''I guess thats a win on my side!''

 

Eva only stared at the two of them for a moment before gathering the confidence to speak.  
''Please never do that again.''


	20. Phase Two- Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo I put in a little timeskip to keep up with the plot.  
> I'll be trying to upload a new chapter about every two weeks, but realistically, I'd say once a month.

Friday, 19th September, 2087.

Almost exactly half a year spend on an alien planet.  
For some reason, it was easier on her than it sounded.

Nourasian winters were harsher than she anticipated. For months, it seemed that the world, or at least the territory they had been staying at, was completely covered in ice.   
Neverending storms of nothing but snow and wind, sometimes unbreaking for weeks at a time.   
She was glad for the small fireplace that came with the hut she had 'moved' into. It was still within the military base, simple, cozy in a way. Better than staying at the Generals' place, even.   
Still, she wasnt alone. For the time being, they had decided it was best to stay at the base, where it was probably the most safe, given the numerous watchmen and cloaking-spells installed at every possible position.  
And, to stay together.   
The hut was big enough to accomodate two separate bedrooms, so it was obvious to anyone that the prince would stay as well. No one had to know that most of the time, the two of them had no use for the second bed.  
Apart from Farid, of course. So far, he had been keeping his word.  
His place was only a few doors down the alley.   
Some storms were too dense to even grant a view up to there.

Either way, the soldiers headed out each day.   
Sometimes, not even the snow could cover the stains of blood and dust on their armor.  
If they returned at all.  
It could have been a lot worse, but in every mission, about 5% of them ended up being murdered. More than 20% ended up wounded, more than half of those too badly to fight again anytime soon. Or, ever again.

There had not been an official answer from the royal court, either.   
The letters had been send months ago, and must have certainly arrived, but a response wasnt in sight.  
So for the time being, they stayed at the base, waiting.

Aikkas' shoulder took longer to heal than anticipated.   
Even after months of treatment and careful training, the feeling in some parts of his hand just would not return. He could move it just fine, but the weird, dull feeling stayed.   
He was okay with it.

Eva had used the time wisely as well.  
She still had a long way to go, but had taken the opportunity to learn all she could about the planet. Most was still foreign, especially the languages were hard to learn, but she was determined as always.  
Most of the time, either Farid or the General helped her.  
While it was certainly more pleasant to converse with Farid, she felt that she learned and comprehended a lot more efficiently with Dirak. Maybe, it was just his experience with leadership.  
In a way, he reminded her of Rick. Mostly in the 'huge, kind of intimidating, mysterious-gloomy mentor'-kind of way. She wondered what would happen if the two met. Certainly an interesting thought.

 

The weather had slowly started getting warmer again maybe one or two months ago.   
Still, she could not help but notice the unusual coldness of the other side of the bed when she woke up.   
Stretching herself a little, she sat up. It was already a little more light outside, a few hours until midday, perhaps.   
Just as anticipated, there was a small note on the nightstand when she moved to the side of the bed, sitting on the edge with the blanket still wrapped around her.

>Went out for training, didnt want to wake you up.<

''Aww..''  
She stood up finally, quickly changing into a more weatherproof outfit.  
A breadroll sufficed as breadfast, and she headed out.

The training courts werent far, their hut was placed more towards the centre of the base, everything within close walking range.

Just as anticipated, there werent that many people around yet in these early hours.  
The sound of wooden batons clashing echoed over the small open area.  
Just from the sound of it, Eva knew already that the prince was training with Farid this morning. Mostly, the General didnt have time to train, leaving it to his advisor. 

''Yo!'' Eva greeted when she was approaching, raising her head with a smile.

''Molly!'' the prince answered, ''Good to see yo-''  
He was cut off by a semi-firm smack to the head.

''Eyes on the target, your highness!'' Farid teased, but waved at Eva as well. 

''My eyes _were_ on the target. Just not yours.'' he winked, daring to put his hand on Evas' shoulder when she was close enough to do so.

''You old flatterer..'' she giggled quietly, even though they were pretty much alone on the field. ''If you do that in a real fight-situation, I'll end you myself!''

Farid rolled his eyes at two of them.   
Using the staff, he poked at the younger couple before they had the chance to get more affectionate.  
''Quit the bickering already!'' 

''Right, right..'' the prince admitted, a slightly annoyed undertone in his voice.

''Just remembered something though.'' Farid looked around, scratching the back of his head. ''How long has it been since you last used bow and arrow to fight? After all, those were your main weapons.''

''Uhm..'' he thought for a few seconds, ''A little more than half a year?'' 

''Well, I'd say we try it out again, huh? Your arm should be healed enough by now.''

''Sounds like a good idea!'' Eva chimed in, maybe a little bit more exited than anticipated. After all, she had only seen real 'target practice' one time, as impressive as it had been.

''Okay..'' For some reason, Aikka didnt seem nearly as exited.

Farid had already went to a nearby shed, uncovering a whole array of longbows from underneath a simple-looking rug. They all looked the same, not nearly as fancy as the one Eva had seen before.  
''I'd say we dont go crazy on spells while we're in the base. Just simple target practice.''  
He went on, throwing one of the bows over to the prince.  
''The targets are right over there.'', he added, pointing through the fog over to the other side of the training field. Through the dense mist, they were barely even visible.   
Handing one arrow over as well, Farid stepped aside to watch.  
''Go ahead.''

Aikka nodded, carefully putting the weapons in place.  
As he raised the bow up to his line of vision to aim, pulling back the arrow to line up, Eva noticed that something was.. off.  
The more he pulled back his arm to build up tension against the string of the bow, the more his muscles started to tense. She could see he was concentrating, a stern expression on his face, his jaw clenched tightly.  
He stopped pulling to aim properly. Holding this position seemed to be even harder.  
She could see there was a tremor in his hand. In fact, his whole arms was shivering, just enough to be seen. 

Eva almost jumped when the silence was cut short by the sound of the arrow cutting through the air as it flew, a small noise of impact to be heard through the fog a fraction of a second later.   
From where they stood, they saw it had hit its target, yet just barely did so, sticking out from the outer ring on the edge of the plate.  
With a small, surpressed yelp of pain, he grabbed at his right arm, pressing it to his side.

''Is something wrong?'' Eva asked quickly, looking up into her friends' face. 

''It cant be..'' he murmured, eyes fixed on the target in the distance for a moment before he looked down at his hand. He had already felt it was still shaking, the tremors refusing to leave.

''That seems a bit odd.'' Farid concluded, raising an eyebrow. ''It still hurts?''

''Not exactly.'' Aikka losened the grip on his arm, circling his wrist to relax the joint. ''Its more like.. At some point when I pulled back, it just kind of..'' he gestured, trying to find a way to put it into words, ''Blocked? Like my shoulder was locked into place, and I couldnt move my arm to adjust, so my aim was really off.''

''You said there was damage to the nerves back then as well, right?'' Farid crossed his arms, an unusually serious look on his face.

''Thats right. Still cant feel some parts of my hand.''

''Well.. If thats the case, then..'' he cleared his throat, ''Maybe you should try out crossbows instead. Maybe your shoulder will get better over time, but I'm afraid re-training to something else is your safest option for now.''

Just when she wanted to reach out to Aikka, Eva felt a set of big, harsh hands on her own shoulders all of a sudden.  
''Surprise.'' A deep, yet familiar voice declared, making her jump even more.   
In fact, only Farid didnt seem startled by the unforseen greeting.

''Dirak!'' Eva protested, whacking her fist against he plates of armor over his chest half-assedly. ''Dont scare me like that!'' She wanted to seem serious, but couldnt hide the tiny hint of a smile.

He only chuckled in response. ''I saw the opportunity and I took it.''

''Dont take it personally, Eva.'' Farid laughed, ''Hes always been an ass when it comes to scaring people. Intentional or not.'' 

''Maybe.'' He crossed his arms, looking around. ''So, target practice it was?''

''Yes.'' The prince answered himself, ''But we came to the conclusion that-''

''That the damage in your shoulder still restricts your movements?'' the taller man finished, his expression calm and collected as always.

''Uh.. I guess so?''

''How did you know?'' Eva asked, perplexed by his deduction.

''Thats easy.'' he began, ''In the training lessons lately, it was obvious your movements were still restricted. Your posture adjusts too. Obviously damage to the muscles or nerves, for all I can tell.''

''I.. didnt even notice that myself.'' Aikka admitted, rubbing the back of his neck nonchalantly.

''That, and theres only one arrow in the target, and its waaaay off centre. Tremors, I suppose?''

''Hit the nail right on its head, my friend!'' Farid proclaimed. 

''Well, if thats the case,'' Dirak began, stepping closer to where the prince was standing, ''I'll be taking over with the lessons for now.''   
A cold shiver ran down Evas spine when the Generals' gaze fell on her for a brief moment.  
''For both of you.''  
Great.  
''Have you two been in a _real_ , one-on-one fight with one of the Crogs' soldiers yet?''

''No?'' Eva answered honestly. She _had_ fought them before obviously, but it was something entirely different to battle them in person.

''No.'' the prince said, much to her surprise. Even the General raised an eyebrow.  
''Well, it was only brief encounters. Most of the time, we had to run before they got to us. And back in the race, I have to admit that I would have lost if they had a real intention of fighting me, rather than just trying to intimidate.''

''I see.'' Dirak chuckled, ''Then its time you two learned how its done.''


	21. The Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess whos back with another chapterrrr~  
> (sorry I always take so long... I think its safe to assume I'm going to post every other week, realistically. soo, whee shedules!)

''I'll start with him.'' The General pointed to the prince, starting to take the plates of armor off. He was probably a lot more agile without it, anyway.  
''You can watch until it's your turn.'' 

''Alright..'' Though logical, being trained by the General himself didnt seem all that pleasant. He had been nice to them so far, Eva though, and yet she _knew_ that he may be more capable of violence than she would have wanted. He had fought and killed more Crogs than any other soldier in the camp, after all.   
Farid stayed to watch too, standing beside her, a safe distance from the other two.

''So, '' Dirak asked, a slight smirk on his face, ''I assume you have been trained in martial arts before, right?''

''Right.'' Aikka answered, taking a thin hairtie out of his pocket to put his hair back, out of his face. ''Mostly fencing.''

''Fencing, I see..'' the General cracked his knuckles, ''I suppose Canaan was your trainer, for the most part? Fencing was his forté, after all.''

''Right again.''

''Well, I wont be teaching you how to fence, thats for sure. I will teach you to fight. Fencing is too dependant on choreography. There is no time to coordinate on the fields.'' He shifted, raising his fists.   
''You should know how to do a simple strike, right?''

The prince stood a little more steady, balling his fists, a confident grin on his face.   
''I think I do.'' 

With a nod, the taller man signaled for the training to start. ''Bring it.''

Before any time could be lost, the prince attacked, aiming for the generals' shoulder.   
As quick as he had been, he missed his target.   
Even though his movements didnt seem too rapid, the General had turned his upper body just enough for the strike to miss. Before he could back off, the prince was met with the hard edge of the Generals' forearm clashing against the side of his head, essentially pushing him back.   
It had not looked like a forceful defense, yet his head was ringing.

''I thought faces were out of the question in training..?!'' he complained, trying to focus once more.

''As I said,'' The General started, ''I am teaching you to _fight_. More importantly, I will teach you how to figh unfairly.''

''Unfairly?''

''You know the Crogs arent a race known for their honour.''  
At that, he himself struck out, the younger one just barely able to dodge.  
''Come on!'' Dirak taunted, ''Defend yourself!''

Eva watched closely, and with each attack and counter-attack, she hated the thought of having to do so herself a little more.   
While Aikka was obviously faster than his opponent, the Generals' punches were a lot more forceful. His movements seemed rational, yet deceptive against the quick, well-choreographed style of the prince. He was not a bad fighter, yet the General didnt seem to be shaken by the hits that he _did_ occasionally take.

''You're learning faster than I anticipated, your highness..'' he spoke, blocking a strike with his bare hand before backing off a step.

''I'll have the bruises to map the effort I'm making by tomorrow, thank you very much..'' Aikka answered, a bit out of breath, but moving in to attack once more.

Dirak simply blocked the first few strikes, trying not to laugh at the remark. Then, he suddenly moved out of the way, just enough to throw the prince off as he aimed for the princes' torso.  
Eva bit her tounge as the strike hit Aikkas' ribs, knocking all breath out of him for a second.

''Didnt expect you'd get tired that easily, though. You'd be dead if I was a real enemy.'', Dirak taunted, allowing him a moment to collect himself.

''How lucky I am that you arent, heh?'' he grunted in response, a little bit of anger in his voice.   
Once more, he rose to attack, managing to make the General back off a step or two, even. He tried to break the older mans' blocks with a kick for a change, yet achieved nothing more than a slight flinch when his shin clashed against Diraks' side. For a moment, Aikka was glad that the General wasnt as fit as he had been many years ago. The muscles he still had seemed to be made of stone..

''Good idea, '' the General spoke as the training continued, ''But dont use kicks in a fight against the Crogs.''

''Oh yeah? And why?'' the Prince smirked, arms raised instinctively to protect his face.

''Use that kick again and I'll show you.''

Aikka oblieged, but immediately regretted his actions. Just before the attack could hit, the General managed to take hold of his calf with one hand, pulling hard, throwing off the younger mans' balance completely. As his back hit the cold, hard ground, he understood why it would be a bad idea.

''Alright, alright..'' he began, still coughing from the sudden impact, ''I get it.''

''I hope you do.'' Dirak roughly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, easily lifting him up to his feet once more. ''Because I'm the living example of what happens if you _dont_ get it.'' he spoke, gesturing to his leg.

''I see.''

 

The training continued, and as it went on, Eva tried gathering as much information as she could, just by watching.   
''Dont worry.'' Farid said as he noticed the concerned look on her face, ''It probably won't hurt as much as it looks like. Plus, he's tiring himself out with your _friend_ , as it seems.'' 

To her, it didnt look like he was anywhere near tired, though.  
If anything, he seemed to be getting more and more confident. Mercilessly, he blocked and attacked, leaving little room for the prince to think, to act.   
Eva knew that they would be training for the worst-case-scenario, but still, she was not looking forward to her own lesson.

Aikka visibly flinched when he blocked another strike with his right arm. He had noticed that the pains from his shoulder were returning, quicker as his instructor became more ruthless.   
''Damn..'' he cursed, noticing the tremor in his hand got worse as he tried moving his fingers, ''A short break, perhaps?''

Unexpectedly, the answer he got was a rather amused, but almost sinister laugh.  
''A break, you say?'' he lowered himself into a fighting-stance again, '' _Earn it.._ ''

''Excuse me-'' He was cut off by another attack, be it one forgiving enough for him to dodge last-second. ''Hey!'' he quickly moved to defend himself, much to Diraks' delight, it seemed.

''You heard me.''   
For now, the training went on.  
The Prince struck at Diraks' shoulder, jaw clenched tightly when he retracted his arm. 

''Dont forget you are talking to a member of the _royal family_ , Stroyrd..'' He growled through gritted teeth, the pain in his arm making it just a bit harder to fight properly.

All it took was one moment of distraction, and he was struck down by the force of Diraks' forearm against his face, enough to make him stumble to his knees. A simple backhand-strike, but he still felt the impact thrumming through his head. He would be lucky to not get a blackeye by tomorrow, he thought.

''And now I've hit a _member of the royal family_ in the face. Didnt make my arm fall off, did it?'' While he didnt seem to be completely serious, there was a suspicious lack of a smile, or at least a grin on his face to indicate he was joking.  
He offered his hand to help Aikka up to his feet, though. 

''You know you'd be dead if you did that to any other member, right?'' the Prince answered, accepting the gesture, obviously still in a little bit of pain. Surprisingly, he did not seem angry, at all.

''Of course I do.'' At least, _now_ he was smirking. With a firm pat to the shoulder, he send the Prince off to the sidelines. ''I think we'll leave it at that for today. Now, ''   
Eva felt her blood freeze when his snake-eyed gaze fell on her, ''It's your turn, earth-girl.''

With a gulp, she stepped forward.   
She passed her friend, just close enough for their hands to briefly brush together.  
''Dont worry. I know you'll do great.'' he smiled, though there was a little bit of blood on his lip, and other thin red blotches and streaks over his face.

''I'll do my best.'' She walked on, confidently, but unable to drown out the nasty feeling that she was about to get into some real, unpleasant trouble.

 

''Alright.'' The General circled his shoulders, losening the joints a bit from the previous quarrel, before facing her once more, stance still unwavering as ever. ''Have you been trained in any way before?''

''Not really, to be honest..'' She tried mimicking what she had seen before, raising her fists for her protection, anticipating.

''I see.'' he watched, judging her movements. ''I suppose you had to defend yourself before? Becoming the winner of the Great Race doesnt seem like a title you can achieve without a fight or two.''

''True, actually. Its easier to do so from the seat of a ship, though.''

''Seems like it.'' He stepped a little closer, she did not back off. ''One more thing before we start, though.'' He looked over to the sidelines, then back to Eva, ''Dont expect me to go easy on you. If you two want to have a chance should you ever get out _there,_ I have to teach you properly. It will be easier to train you, since you dont already have some kind of base that interferes with what I'm teaching you.''

She agreed, nodding silently.

''Alright.'' He opened one of his fists, turning the inside of his hand to face her, ''I suppose you know how to strike?''

''I believe I do..'' At first, she was unsure of the thought, not trusting the situation just yet. She had seen the way he trained Aikka. She had to be careful.  
Without another thought, she struck out, her fist hitting the palm of the Generals' hand, hard.

''Not bad.'' he commented, ''But you are holding back. Do it again, and mean it this time.''

She took a deep breath, trying to center her energy, confident as she struck out again.  
There was no armour on his hands, obviously, but with more power behind it on her side, it felt a lot harder on her knuckles this time.

''Thats better. Put your footwork into it, and dont hold back.''

Another strike followed, and another. 

''Come on, you're not going to hurt me!'' 

With an aggravated growl, she struck out one more time. This time, she felt the impact all the way up to her shoulder.

''See? There _was_ more strengh in you.'' he cracked his knuckes, smirking all of a sudden. ''Now, _you_ block.''

''Wait, wha-'' she had just enough time to protect her face before she felt the impact of the attack push her back, a dull pain against where it had hit her right forearm. 

 

Farid noticed the prince getting slightly more agitated all of a sudden.   
''I mean, I get that she has to train hard as well but..'' he was cut off by the amused giggling of the older man.  
''What?!'' Aikka spoke silently enough, so neither the General nor Eva herself would hear, ''As I said, I get that its _necessary_ , but...'' he sighed, ''You get it, its not nice to see your.. a good friend get beat up like that!''

''So thats what you're calling it now? _Good friends?_ ''

''Oh, you know what I mean..'' 

 

The second strike was even more powerful, or at least felt like it. Evas' feet dug against the ground harshly, but she kept upright, her forearms remaining her only shield.  
''Not bad. Try dodging.''

''I'll _try_ alright!''  
he was not joking when he said he would not go easy on her. For now, she only hoped he would at least not mangle her face as badly as Aikkas..

~~~~

By the time her training ended, a lot of people had gathered around, watching, cheering, even. Some had even been as nice as to yell tips and advice to her. Not that she had needed it, to her surprise, she was doing better than even she herself had expected. She was quick, cunning, it was surprisingly easy to get a grip of the overall feeling of 'combat'.   
It did not make it hurt any less when the Generals' attacks actually hit, obviously, but it felt empowering to hold her own in training.   
Her training took longer than the princes'. She had more to learn, after all.  
Maybe it would have taken even longer, but it was cut short by the sound of alarms ringing through the basecamp. She had grown familiar to the sound over the months. 

''We'll go on tomorrow.'' Dirak simply stated as soon as he heard, and before there was even a chance to wish good luck, or anything at all, he dissapeared into the groups of soldiers that gathered, storming out of the base, ready for another battle.

Just now, Eva noticed how much the training had tired her out.  
With aching limbs, she went to her friend. Of course, the prince had stayed to watch the entire time.

''You did good!'' he concluded, allowing himself to put his arm around her shoulder.

''And you are still sweaty..'' she complained at the touch with a wince, enough for him to retreat.

''Oh, sorry..'' he cleared his throat, followed by a few seconds of silence, but not the awkward kind, at least. Silence was rarely awkward for some reason, even after almost 6 months of practically being roommates. Maybe, it could have been the reason, even.  
''I'd say we head back to our place. Maybe get some more paperwork done..''

''Sounds good to me.'' she sighed. ''Is it bad that I'm kind of hoping for bad knee-joint-weather overnight? Man, I mean I get that he's trying to train us properly, but I'll be black and blue tomorrow!'' she took a closer look at her arms, not pleased at the sight already.

He laughed at the remark, be it only a small, amused cackle. ''Thats a bit mean, its a disability!'' 

''Well if he goes on like this we'll be disabled soon as well!'' 

Just for a moment, the two of them allowed themselves to walk a little closer, just the edges of their fingers brushing together. In their haste, the soldiers wouldnt take notice of such a small thing, right?  
For now, it had to be enough.


	22. The Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo.... Guess who got around to wrapping this chapter up properly
> 
> Holidays are upon us so... I maaaaay post a bit more than usual. I'll try. I hope so. I'm a very tired noodle.
> 
> Tried some new stuff with the fluff, so... Some feedback would be appreciated hahhaa ;w;

Upon arriving at their place, they seemingly had rather similar ideas of how to wrap up the day.  
Just a little while after arriving, they found themselves in front of the shower, reaching for the doorhandle at the same time. For a moment, they only looked at each other, still a bit too tired to immediately react somehow.

Slowly, Aikka retracted his hand, stepping back.  
''Ladies first.'', he smirked, lowering himself for a small, overly proper bow.

Eva just chucked, pushing him away by the head, ruffling his hair even more.  
''One day, you're gonna 'polite' me to death!''

''Maybe so.'' he laughed, already retreating to another room.

 

A hot shower felt good after todays' training, at least taking away some of the aches in her muscles. There would definately be a few bruises, though. She didnt mind it too much. After all, she had been through worse than a bit of training. 

 

When she was done, she continued moving to the small kitchen they had available in their home.  
Most of nourasian food was vaguely comparable to things she knew from earth, at least. By far not everything, but enough for her to be able to put together _something_.

And suddenly, it struck her.  
Maybe, just maybe, if her mind wasnt tricking her...  
There was everything in stock at the moment to make something resembling pizza.

Immediately, she took out a bowl, a knife, and a couple of ingredients.

Nourasian bread was surprisingly close to earths', yet to her knowledge, it didnt take as long to make, which was perfect. She had to make some adjustments seasoning-wise, but by the end of it, she had to admit the slight amber-coloured ball of 'dough' resting on the counter looked a whole damn lot like what she had pictured.

Just when she started chopping up some vegetables for her sauce-attempt, she heard footsteps behind her.  
Familiar footsteps, though. She didnt have to turn around to know the person wrapping his arms around her mid-section a few seconds later.

''Making something special?'' Aikka asked, resting his chin on her shoulder, looking over the situation on the countertop briefly.

''Well, you could say that.'' she admitted, nudging his head with hers. 

''And what is it going to be when its done?''

''Only one of the best things earth has to offer on the culinary spectrum.'' 

''I see..'' he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, his grip on her remaining, ''Should I help you with something?'' 

''Hmm...'' she leaned back, resting against him some more, ''I think I'm gonna be fine. Its more of a surprise like this as well, dont you think?''

''Well, if you say so~''  
He simply watched for a few moments, before his hands moved to her shoulders, gripping slightly, but remaining gentle as ever.  
''You look awfully tense..''  
His fingers moved to gently brush over her muscles, kneading up her neck. 

She had to admit, it felt really nice.  
His hands were warm, comforting, and he was good at what he was doing. She had not noticed how sore her shoulders had really gotten. It was quite the distraction, but she continued cooking as best as she could for now.

After a while, Aikka had resorted back to only hugging and watching, though.  
By the time she had some kind of 'probably-far-from-tomato'-sauce-situation happening on the stove, she turned in his grip, facing him.

There was already a bruise forming on the side of his face, a slightly dark, cresent-moon shaped blemish, stretching from the bone of his brow, down to his temple.  
''Aww, man..'' Eva put her arms up on his shoulders, letting her fingers run through his hair, using her grip to turn his face a little, giving her a better angle on the damage. ''He didnt go easy on you, thats for sure..''  
She felt over the bruise, carefully, not really sure if she was just trying to assess the damage or comfort him, in a way. Probably a bit of both. 

''Its nothing.'' Aikka said, hands trailing down her spine to rest on her sides. ''He told us he would not, after all. I was more worried about you, actually.''

''You were?''

''I know, its wrong.. I mean, you are a strong woman, you can hold your own, but I cant help but-'' he was searching for words, yet it let to nothing. With a sigh, he let his head rest against her hand some more. ''I cant help wanting to protect you.''

Eva only chuckled in response.  
''Thats so you..''

''I hope it is.'' instinctually, he looked around before leaning down to kiss her. Briefly, as always, but nonetheless genuine.

Eva kept him close when he tried to retreat, her grip on the back of his neck.  
For a moment, she just kept her forehead against his. After all, they didnt have many quiet moments like these. Not enough time to just be young, make up for the years they had lost.   
But now, right in this moment, they had time.

Cupping his face with her hands, she pulled him back in, continuing the kiss right where they had left off.  
After all they had been through, it just felt right.  
As expected, Aikka leaned back in, smiling slightly at her sudden burst of affection.

One kiss chased another as their embrace tightened. Eva took a step back to lean against the kitchens' countertop, yet neither of them let go of the other, not daring to break contact.  
At that, Eva tilted her head to the side a little more, deepening their kiss ever so slightly.   
As one of Aikkas hands trailed off of her to rest on the countertop behind her, Eva began to wonder.  
She was sure this was not the first time they had gone 'that far' when they could, but she could not recall a time where it had been more than these sweet, endearing types of kisses.. If her mind was not tricking her.

The opportunity was good, she thought. Maybe, just maybe, it was time to try something new, then.  
Gently, and slowly at first, she started coaxing their mouths open as they kissed, only a little at first. Her fingers went over his neck, keeping him close. It was surprisingly easy to further intensify their kiss, way easier than Eva had anticipated.  
This was certainly more intense than what they had done before, she thought.   
For a moment, everything felt at ease.  
It was new to be _this_ close, even after the time they had spend on this planet together.   
Just as she leaned back a little more, pulling him with her, unwilling to let go of the warmth he was still radiating, she felt him tense. He pulled back suddenly, gasping, looking at her wide-eyed, as if he'd seen a ghost.

''Whoh..'' he breathed, standing a little taller, ''Wh- what?''

Eva furrowed her brows in confusion. ''What do you mean?''

''I.. uh..'' he retained from looking into her eyes directly, ''I suppose thats a very.. _Earth_ -typical thing..?''

She almost laughed out loud at the remark. He _had_ been rather uptight with things like that, but she would not have thought that things like _that_ were not similar in their cultures.

''It could be!'' she giggled, composing herself again. ''Well, I thought French-Kissing was sort of.. common, at least on _our_ worlds..?''

''Thats what you call it? Well, not to my knowledge'' he huffed, timidly scratching the back of his head. ''At least not... casually, like that.''

''I see..'' Evas' hands trailed over to his chest, surprised in a way that they were still so close together, neither considering to back off. Like this, she felt how rapidly his heart was still beating. It had probably been.. weird, if it really was not all that common here..

''It was.. nice, though.'' 

''You think?'' Her gaze met his again. Strangely, it didnt feel odd.

''I do.'' he lowered himself back down, voice merely a low rumble. ''We can do it again, if you feel like it..''

She smiled, almost instantly rising to her tip-toes to close the gap between them once more.

They did not remain like this for very long. To her surprise, Aikka seemed to have warmed up to the idea quickly, as he lifted her up effortlessly, setting her down on the countertop. It was more comfortable like this.  
Just as she felt one of his hands trail up her thigh, an enourmously loud, crashing sound made both of them stop in their tracks.   
As if there had been an earthquake, the house was shaking for a few seconds, badly enough to cause cracks and breaks in the glass of the windows, the sound of a couple even breaking ringing from somewhere else in the house, and outside where the others' stood.  
Instantly, the prince had pulled her close, trying to shield her, moving without having to waste a thought on it. The noises from outside were louder now that a few windows were broken, people were yelling, alarms sounded all through the basecamp.  
As tightly as he was holding her, the sound of his breath hung above it all, but was far from drowning it out. 

''No..'' he whispered, recognizing what was going on in an instant.

''Whats happening?!'' Eva tried to push her way out of his grip, but a terrifying suspicion had already taken over her mind.

''Its _them_.'' Aikka stated, heading for the hallway, pulling her with him, ''The Crogs. They found the base, somehow.''   
Before Eva could properly process the terror, the two of them were already out the door.   
''That just now was just a bomb, thats only the beginning. We need to go, now!''


	23. The Battlefield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This took a bit longer to write but... I worked a bit harder on it than usual sooo...  
> Please let me know how you like it though, I really wanna know
> 
> Got some more cool stuff planned for the next couple of chapters though so stay tuned!
> 
> (small warning for blood and violence in this chapter just in case)

The constant ringing of alarms wouldnt leave her ears for a while, she thought, as they ran towards the edge of the basecamp.

Even though the sun was dangerously close to setting, painting everything around them to a red and orange hue, everyone was on edge.   
Again, the earth shook. It almost threw the two of them off their feet, the explosion couldnt have been far.

''Come on, come on!'' Aikka kept encouraging as he pulled her by the hand, sounding way too concerned to be reassuring in any way.

It was the first time that Eva felt truly, utterly unsafe in the base.  
Their contact was apruply shut off by a squadron of mounts cutting them off.   
She had managed to jump aside just in time, nearly getting caught up in the herd of clashing plates and insect legs.  
It almost felt more like a stampede than a controlled attack.

It didnt help that they were mostly gigantic, tank-like scarab mounts, cutting off her sight to the other side of the walkway where Aikka should be.  
She heard him yell her name, somewhere behind the wall of creatures and men. She moved, trying to look for a way, her throat refusing to answer.

Someone grabbed her arm.  
She turned, reliefed to recognize a familiar face, at least.

''Farid!''

''No time for talking, come with me!'' the older man stated, tugging her along. 

''No, wait, I-'' she tried complaining, but went along for now without much trouble.

''He'll be fine, trust me!'' Farid said, pulling her towards the stable-secions of the base. ''Its safer if you two are separated. They cant kill two birds with one stone that way. Literally.''

Before she could properly question it, she found herself being thrown onto a big mount, dark in colour, rather plane, except for its translucent wings, it was a more or less common, beetle-type mount.  
Farid followed her up immediately, she held onto the saddle-structure tightly as the creature stirred.

When she dared to open her eyes again, they were about a thousand feet up in the air already.  
It wasnt her first time flying like this, but in that moment, she'd rather be anywhere else.  
Yet, it was far quieter beneath the clouds.

''Where are we going?'' she yelled against the rapid wind biting her face, pulling at her hair, like a force trying to pry her off and into the approaching night.  
The sun was at the very edge of the horizon, illuminating only a thin line before it should all fade to greyness.  
Below them, on the ground, it was already too dark to see.

Except for the occasional burst of laserbeams or explosions, or sparks of metal..

A couple more mounts surrounded them to all sides, the hum of their wings only white noise, dulling out more and more as time passed.  
''We're heading to the base near the Great Deserts. We'll be safe there for a while.''  
It was odd to see a serious expression on Farid.  
He was in front of her, firmly grasping at the reigns. It was not his usual mount, one could tell, in a way.   
Yet, Eva was grateful not to be entirely alone in that situation.

Suddenly, maybe ten minutes or so into the escape, she noticed something about the grounds they were flying over.  
The more the sun lowered, the more it seemed to blur, las if a thick layer of fog layed upon it. The colour was off, though.

At that, it hit her.  
They were passing over the battlegrounds.  
It all fit. The explosions, the terrain, even the red dust settled throughout..   
She had heard more than enough reports of this place in the time she had stayed.   
Seeing it as it was, so far below her feet, still felt way too close for comfort.

''I think you noticed where we are, heh?'' Farids' voice ripped her from her thoughts, ''I know, I'd rather be anywhere else now too.. But its the safest route, no less. A single mount will come to their attention far more quickly.''

''Right..'' She nodded, keeping a keen eye on her surroundings.

Just as she started to feel safe, her eyes caught something in the sky, approaching quickly.  
Enemy ships. Tridents.   
She had seen them before.   
As fear started closing in about her, she started remembering. All memories of that day back in the race resurfaced, the scorching sound of heated metal blades a terrible deja-vu in her ears..

''Fall back!'' Farids voice cut through, a tinge of an ancient spell in his throat, making it audible for the rest of the soldiers around as well. 

From the saddlebag of their mount, Farid grabbed a fairly well-crafted, yet simple crossbow. He shifted his position so he was kneeling, putting the first bolt into the construction of the bow.

Eva watched her surroundings closely, pinned on the ships in the distance.  
The lasers hit before they had a chance to fire back.  
A few of the others seemed to have been hit. She would never forget the sound of flesh, bone and armor ripping apart, searing, burned and sliced simultaneously.   
Lasers were a terrifying weapon.

Farid kept the mount beneath them steady, somehow, ignoring its protesting clacks, finishing his aim at the enemies.  
The spell he cast was merely a whisper, yet it seemed to pass through gritted teeth just fine.

The bolt hit, tearing the affected ship apart with a massive explosion, taking in two more of their fleet.   
As those fell, others set their aims on revenge.  
Eva felt Faird tense as he realized, his back pressing more against her, signaling at the beetle to stop continuing onwards.

She held on more tightly as she heard lasers being fired again. Too close, way too _close_ -

''I'm sorry!'' Farid yelled as he pulled at the reigns, hard, making the creature shift mid-air just before the impact threw them back, hitting the beetles' now unprotected underside, instead of going right through its riders.

Eva grabbed on tightly, almost thrown off by the havoc.

Sudden flashes of light, a deafening screech from their mount, and the ever-present rush of air all around her, then darkness, in a moments' notice just darkness and noise..

They were falling.

She did not scream.  
Some things were too horrible, a terror too big to vocalize.  
She was going to die.

Her eyes pried open only seconds before impact.   
The mount was not entirely dead yet it seemed, tumbling, rather than just falling.  
They crashed into the ground at an angle, the collision ripping her from her seat at last, knocking her down alongside Farid.

Eva felt her right side hit the ground, small rocks and sand grinding into her flesh as she slid over the surface, thrown around like a ragdoll until she finally came to a halt.

She gasped for air, yet couldnt breathe.  
But she was alive.  
The dust all around her burned in her mouth, deep in her lungs, one frantic cough chasing another as she hauled herself up to kneel, looking around.   
''Farid!'' she yelled, choked and almost inaudible, trying to find him anywhere around her blurred vision, the stabbing pain form her side and the sandy air making her eyes water.

She tried, and tried again, carefully moving to stand up, but cowering down in a haste as a range of shots were fired somewhere near.   
In her frustration, she hit the ground, hard. She was not going to die here. Not today. Not in this place. _Not here._

Just when she wanted to yell again, her eyes caught a familiar siluette in the shadows ahead.  
The beetle they had crashed with. A thin, stumbling figure near it, leaning.  
''Farid!'' she gasped, bottling all energy left in her to jump to her legs.

''God.. fucking.. dammit..''  
She heard him curse as she approached, but didnt think much of it yet.  
He turned to briefly look at her, breathing heavily, one hand clutching his chest.  
Blood-soaked.

''Fuck..'' Eva gasped, trying not to inhale too badly, trying to assess the damage, one hand on the mans' shoulder, not sure if she was attempting to keep him standing or keep herself on her feet.

''Its alright.'' His voice was far, _far_ too raspy to fit him. He trembled, biting his lip at the pain.   
''Motherfucker... Grazed me right-on..'' He let go of himself for a second to look at the damage himself, but there was way, _way_ too much blood to see. The sight alone send another bite of pain right through him.

''Its okay, I'll..'' Eva muttered, pushing him down to rest against the remnants of the mount, ''We'll find a way out of this, we'll find help, I-'' she coughed. The longer she stayed here, the more it felt like she was breathing in sand. 

''Eva, you need to go!'' Farid insisted, grasping her arm firmly to keep her attention. ''I will be fine. Just go.'' 

Eva shook her head, unable to speak at this point. Another coughing-fit brought her to her knees, blinding her with a stabbing scratch in her throat. 

''Eva!'' She heard Farid talk to her somewhere in the distance. She tried to inhale forcefully, but she was suffocating.  
His voice drifted away more and more, she choked.  
No, she had to go, she had to survive, she had to get up-

Out of the blue, something, no someone grabbed her by the shoulder from behind, turning her. Another soldier?  
Whoever it was took hold of her face, pulling her towards themself she assumed, as the back of her head hit against hard metal-plating of armor, keeping her steady.  
Something was being put on her. Almost fearful, she dared to open her eyes.  
A helmet.  
Whoever had held her let go of her soon enough. Through the helmet, everything was a lot more quiet all of a sudden. Eva took a deep breath, relieved to finally find some fresh air hit her lungs.   
She took a few seconds to just breathe, come to her senses again, before turning around to properly look at who was standing there.

''Didnt expect to find you two here..''   
A familiar voice greeted, deep and rumbly.  
The Generals' gaze was just a little more stinging as normal, though..  
In that moment, Eva was more than relieved, though.  
His armor was scratched, dirtied with blood and dust.   
Having given up his helmet didnt seem to bother him much, not even a twinge of discomfort on his face.

''Same goes to you, buddy!'' Farid laughed, being reminded of his torn skin and muscles almost immediately.

Awkwardly, the General knelt down in front of him, taking Farids' hand off the wound to briefly look it over before pressing it down onto the slash again.  
''Keep some pressure on it. Doesnt look nice, but I think its safe to assume you'll survive.'' He quickly tore off a piece of Farids' sleeve, handing it to him as well. ''And try to breathe through some fabric at least. This air is still pretty toxic.''  
His friend oblieged, not knowing what else to say.

''Eva.'' Dirak turned to her once more, another round of bombs and ammonition in close proximity apparently not even stirring him enough to twitch, ''I'm afraid you'll have to find your way out of this yourself.''

She nodded, looking around frantically. It was too dark to really see anything close, though she thought to have seen the faintly-glowing outlines of the Generals' scorpion a few metres further in the fog.

A sinister, dark laugh ripped her concentration away.  
Even the General turned, eyes immediately fixed on where the voice had come from. This was not one of the Nourasian fighters.

''Well, well, well, what do we have here?''   
A dark figure, taller than any man, weirdly-proportioned, slowly approached.  
The closer it got, the more iminent Evas' terror became.  
One of the Crogs' soldiers.  
''If thats not the infamous _man of stone.._ '' he taunted, dragging an enormous blade across the ground until sparks flew.

''Eva, stay behind me.'' Dirak focused the monster before him, taking one of his own swords from his back. ''If anything happens, run.'' 

At that, he lunged forward, the clash of metal blades stinging like breaking glass in Evas' ears.  
Despite the size-difference, the fight was far more fast-paced than anything she had seen in training before.  
Yet, the Generals' movements did not differ all that much. It seemed he acted at full precision, slow, but forceful. He struck out and dodged, swift as a panther, as if he predicted every little act the Crog offered.

For a moment, just a small chain of seconds, she felt safe.   
She still held her breath when the General made an unexpected jolt forward, pushing his attacker back with his shoulder.   
The Crog stumbled backwards.  
Why did he stumbe?! Their kind was so much bigger than the Nourasians.   
Maybe, she had underestimated them.

Weirdly, the Crog let out a bone-chilling laugh, re-tightening his grip on the sword.  
''Didnt expect you'd still have that much fight in you, Stroyrd..''  
So they had met before.  
Eva pressed herself closer to the carcass of the beetle, unable to take her eyes off the battle.

The General kept quiet.

''Come on, dont act like you dont remember me!'' the Crog kept taunting as Dirak lowered his shoulders once more, keeping his stance.  
''Lets see..''  
The Crog raised his sword, attempting to bring it down on the man before him.

Just in time, the General blocked the attack with his own blade, being pushed down with the full weight of the attack.   
The sudden pressure on his leg was enough to make him yelp up in pain, just for a moment.

''There we go!'' The giant put even more of his force down onto the man.  
''It still pains you, doesnt it!'' he kept laughing, delighted, as the General swallowed hard, keeping a straight face.   
But Eva noticed the way his leg was trembling, the joint would not hold up much longer. His arms buckled under the weight of the block.  
''And guess what, _man of stone_..'' the Crog started, voice suddenly low, almost angry, ''It will never stop.''

''For once, just shut your face.'' Dirak finally grunted. He did not sound scared. 

And suddenly, just before his leg would give out completely, he let go of the block.  
Eva jumped.   
There was no way he could win this fight.  
And still, he did not fall.  
Just before the enemies' blade could bite into his armor, the General had moved forward, his own sword steady at his side. He was close enough now, so he rammed the blade straight into the Crogs' stomach, cutting through the dense, plated armor like sand.

''Tell me,'' Dirak started, ripping his sword back out apruptly, watching as blood and whatnot spilled on the ground between them, ''How does that feel?'' 

Cold sweat ran down Evas' spine as she watched. There was this certain kind of bitterness in his voice, a deep, deep anger.   
'' _How does that feel?!_ '' he repeated, yelling, unexpectedly kicking his opponent against where he had cut.   
The Crog fell backwards, layed unmoving as the pool of his own blood slowly expanded, he was dead just seconds after.  
For a couple of seconds, the tall man simply stood, watching the life fade from the fallen giant before him.  
His breath heaved at the sting of the dust in his lungs.  
He turned to face Eva.

The look on his face made her freeze.  
There was no fear, no remorse. He was just as cold as she had anticipated, and still, it was more unsettling than she had wished for. _Far_ more unsettling.  
He stepped closer, almost growling at the pain in his leg.  
''You need to go, Eva.'' His eyes were piercing, as if he looked right through her. Maybe it was good that she still wore his helmet. He could not see her fear this way.

He looked towards the fog, whistling once until a faintly glowing shadow scurried closer, revealing the enourmous, yet blood-soaked scorpion mount. It wasnt its own blood, though. 

''Ekko will bring you to safety. Take Farid with you. He will know the way.''

''Are you stupid?!'' Farid himself protested, but could not fight against the Generals' grip. As if the smaller man weighed nothing, he was almost thrown onto the scorpion, too occupied with the remnants of his pain to say anything else.

Dirak focused on Eva again.  
''Get moving.'' He ordered, standing tall before her.  
Her limbs refused to move. Something about him struck terror deep within her heart, telling her to run, just _run_ , yet she was frozen, her back pressed to the dead beetle.  
'' _Go!_ '' the General shouted, not waiting any longer before he grabbed her by force, throwing her over his own shoulder.  
His grip felt far more forceful than it should, for a man of his build.  
Something was just not right with him..  
Before Eva could even process it, she was thrown onto the huge arachnid as well.

She heard the tall man speak a few words she could not understand, Ekko jolted, clacking angrily at the man.  
It seemed the mount intended to refuse its masters command, but the General insisted, almost hissing his orders to the creature.  
Eva had just enough time to hold on to the bloodied scales before Ekko began running.  
She looked back, watching as the dust slowly swallowed Diraks' silhouette, until he was completely out of sight.

She did not know if she was thankful. For now, all she could do was survive.


	24. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long break.. again
> 
> I hope this turned out alright hahahaa the plot thickensss

Holding on to the running scorpion beneath her was certainly more difficult than doing so on the other mounts.   
Ekkos' exo-skeleton was smooth, yet hard like metal, matted with dust and blood.  
And he was fast. Way faster than she had expected. Maybe his vision was better than hers as well, she thought, as they evaded dozens upon dozens of siluettes in the fog before them, enemies as well as friends.  
There was no point in trying to command the animal. Eva did not know what its' master had ordered it to do, but it seemed like there was a clear mission on its mind.

She only wished that the helmet she wore could block out some of the noise, too..  
Of course it would not. Not hearing was definately a bad thing on the battlegrounds.  
But logic could not drown out the screams either. Some felt closer than others, some far away, but it did not matter.   
There were more bombs than she had expected. Sometimes, she could even hear what could only be gunshots, though she could have been wrong.

''Wheres' he taking us?'' she finally got herself to ask, turning slightly to look at Farid behind her.  
He had gone a bit paler already, his hand still clutching at the wound on his chest, stained with blood all over.

''There is a small outpost a few miles from the southern edge of the battlegrounds.'' he answered, ''If I recall it right, we are near the edge already.''

When she turned around again, facing the direction they were going in, fear gripped at her once more.   
Before them, close enough to be visible, there was one of the Crogs.  
The fact alone did not make it fearsome to her. She had come face-to-face with many in her life.  
The fact that he had just ripped one of the nourasian soldiers apart with his bare hands, just when she had turned to look, sure did.

She wanted to scream. And yet, not a sound could leave her throat.

Ekko came to a halt, claws raised in defense, hissing loudly.  
It did not seem to stir the Crog much, though.

''I see.'' he laughed, staring at the two unfamiliar riders, ''So the _man of stone_ is without his greatest weapon..''   
From his back, the Crog took a simple-looking, yet enormous blade.   
''We'll see how long he'll hold out this time.''

As if the creature had understood the words, Ekko lunged forward without warning. All Eva could do was hold on so she would not be thrown off, or backwards against Farid.  
In a moments' notice, the Crog found itself in the grip of Ekkos' claws, Eva wanted to press her eyes shut, or just look away, but everything happened so close in front of her..  
The awful sound of armor and flesh ripping echoed in her mind as she saw blood hit the visor of her helmet.

The scorpion shifted beneath her, ramming his stinger right into the Crogs' skull, before finally letting go.  
Before one could tell if their enemy was truly dead, Ekko started running once more.

 

She could not say how long it took them to reach the battlegrounds' edge after that. No one had spoken a word.   
When the dust had cleared mostly, Ekko made a low, growling sound, before stopping right in his tracks. So hard in fact that the impact had been hard enough to throw both her and Farid off and onto the hard, dust-covered ground.  
Eva shook her head, finally aware of the pain throughout her body. She knew she would be very sore for a while.  
Carefully, she helped Farid get up.  
Ekko simply stood there, staring.  
An insects' eyes were not really expressive, and yet, there was something about this animal in front of her..

''Is he.. mad at us?'' she asked, surprised by how calm her voice was.

''Could be.'' Farid huffed, ''I mean, he sees Dirak as his leader. An injured one, no less. He normally rarely leaves his side in battle. And now he had to, for our sake.''

''Great...'' 

Just when she dared to look at the arachnid, Ekko started hissing again, inching exactly one step closer to her. A warning. 

She looked away. 

Slowly, Ekko walked back into the fog. 

For a moment, everything was silent. Calm, even. As if the war raging less than a mile away was just a faraway nightmare.

''Lets go, Eva. If we hurry, we can reach the outpost before sunrise.''

''Alright.''  
Maybe, it was better to pretend, just for a while.

~~~~

_Through the fog, the General made his way forward.  
Powerfully, like a watchful spirit. Always watching.   
Bombs, lasers and the sounds of bullets around did not stir him.   
It was his job. It was his purpose. The first lesson he had ever learned._  
If you cannot hide fear, do not feel it at all.  
 _There were more Crogs approaching. As if they had sensed he was without the scorpion, they were all around, everywhere in the fog. But they were too dull, too senseless. If they were careful, a Nourasian could notice a Crog far earlier, perhaps avoid it at the last second.  
The soldiers were fighting, but their numbers were far too small. If it went on like this, they would not win this fight.  
Not a twinge of fear on his face. If this was the last battle, then he would die with his forces._

_One of the Crogs approached through the dust.  
At least, this one didnt bother talking.  
With each breath, Dirak noticed the rattling in his chest grow louder. Like sand-paper in his lungs.   
It does not matter, he thought. The earth-girl had to survive. She was the only chance they had to win this war. The only chance to save this world._  
Even if it meant teaming up with humans.  
 _Humans._  
He balled his fists at the mere thought.  
Bastards. Rotten, vile bastards.

_At last, the Crog attacked._  
The General evaded the blade narrowly, not anticipating how little weight the joint in his leg could still bear.  
Yet, he pushed forward.   
Again and again, the blades clashed, a dull sound in his ears. 

_He would not win like this._  
He was running out of breath, out of strength.  
Stumbling, he retreated a few steps. 

_There was one more thing he could do._  
He sighed, but raised his gaze once more.   
Silently, he spoke a strand of words, feeling his heartrate rise with each syllable.   
The more the spell took shape, the more he felt his strength return, burning, like acid in his chest.  
A faint glow emitted along his arms and neck, illuminating his veins in a dull, blue light. Similar to that of his scorpion.  
By the time it reached his eyes, making his unyielding stare all the more terrifying, he dropped his weapon. 

_''So its true..'' the Crog spoke, not backing off, yet bracing themselves._

_As they stepped forward, the General approached as well, an angry growl in his throat.  
The poison in his blood made it harder to think the longer it prevailed, everything around him turned awfully clear, his senses sharpened to a painful degree. _

_Just as his enemy raised his sword, he made a final jolt onwards, ramming his bare fist to the crogs' armor with a deafening roar._

_Like shattering glass, the plating crumbled upon itself as the attacker fell backwards, the impact as if a bomb had went off before them._  
More blood stained the General standing above its corpse.  
A single hit, yet enough to wreck both metal armor and bones beneath it. 

_At the sound of it all, more of their soldiers appeared from the fog._

_Standing upon the body of the Crog, the General only laughed.  
It started as a low rumble, yet it grew quickly, louder and louder, a manic laughter. _

_For a short moment, the oncoming enemies before him, as well as his own in his back, only stared._

_''Come on!'' the tall man taunted the giants between coughs, strands of faintly glowing blood streaming from the edges of his mouth.  
''Try to kill me! Come on!''_

_They were outnumbered by far. He knew that. But still, he stood straight, unwavering, between his soldiers and the_ monsters. __  
As he marched forward, his people followed.  
His strength empowered them, they knew of the terror he inflicted, even on the Crogs.

_The fire of guns and lazers deafened him, yet the sound of falling soldiers around was nothing he could ignore.._

_Like a mad animal, he attacked the first Crog soldier that dared come near him when the fronts clashed._  
As soon as they fell, others followed, one after another, over and over again.   
The energy in him was enough to tear them to shreds, almost effortlessly.   
He crushed their bones like twigs, tore through them with terrifying fury, the glow in his blood growing stronger as the battle raged on, drilling each detail of the chaos and slaughter into his brain. 

_He did not notice how the clouds and dust above the battlefield started lifting at first, parting, a small streak of moonlight illuminating the blood-soaked ground.  
The sound of engines and gigantic metal mechanisms made him lift his gaze to the sky._

_The lights of an enormous aircraft hung way up in the sky._  
Just for a small moment, it seemed all the action had been stopped.   
Just for a moment, there was complete and utter silence.  
Whoever had but a second to breathe simply looked up. Most of them could not know what to think of it.  
But the General knew what this meant. He knew where this ship came from.   
This was not the first time he had seen something like this. 

Humans.

_An armada of smaller warships emerged from the larger carrier, storming towards the Crogs' frontlines, starting to fire away alongside the Nourasian forces._

_They were on their side._

_A wave of hope rushed over the fields as the dust cleared, grounded by the thousands of powerful engines high above them._

_Everyone seemed to cheer._

_Everyone, but one.  
The man of stone simply turned, grinding his teeth as he let the spell upon himself die down._

_''Lets see how this works out..'' he mumbled, so no one would hear, voice raw from dust and blood. He coughed, a sharp pain running through his chest as his heart desperately tried to compensate the damage of the poison.  
''Bastards..''_


	25. The Basecamp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whohooo guess who got around to posting~
> 
> One of the most difficult to write chapters so far.. Some feedback would be really appreciated, Im just a nervous noodle trying to have fun here
> 
> Smol warning for blood and stuff just to make sure

''Well.. thats not how I remember it.'', Farid huffed, trying not to lean onto Eva too much as they slowly made their way towards the outpost.  
It had taken a bit longer than anticipated, the lights and noises of the camp a welcome relief to their ears.

There was still a lot of commotion.  
The humans must have already landed here a while ago, one, maybe two hours.

''How did we not notice?!'' Eva huffed, trying to ignore the aches from her side. The dull pain on the side of her head was more than enough to keep her distracted, though.

''Actually? I have no idea.''  
It was nice to see some kind of gladness on Farids' face. The seriousness form before definately had not suited him.

 

The makeshift sickbay was still under construction when they arrived, just a cluster of semi-organized blankets and stations, some matresses, and a lot of boxes for cargo.

Somewhere in the tangle, Eva thought she saw the nurse she had met in the basecamp a while ago. Agitated, she was signing to her assistants, trying to help with all she had.  
Eva did not have too much time to think about it, before a sudden noise ripped her from her thoughts.  
A familiar figure made his way through the people, becoming more forceful the closer he got.

''Molly!''

In a matter of seconds, she had gotten up to meet him halfway before she felt Aikkas arms close around her, almost squeezing all air out of her with his grip.

Neither of them could tell how long they stood like this.  
Maybe even long enough to be suspicious. Neither of them cared.

''Where have you been..?'' she asked, merely a whisper against the fabric over his chest.  
With how fast she heard his heart beating, he must have been asking himself the same thing.

''We.. We hid in a bunker near this outpost. Took the path through the forrests, thats why we took so long.'' he still sounded shaken, letting go of her a bit, just to raise one hand to her chin, taking a quick look at the markings on her face.  
His finger brushed over some partially dried streams of blood and brusing, gentle enough not to hurt.  
''Oh man..'' he sighed, before pulling her head to the crook of his neck again.  
''I thought I lost you.'' he whispered in her ear, using the opportunity to nudge at her with his temple.

''Same goes to you..'' she felt like crying, overwhelmed with relief.  
She could have died today. Either of them could have.   
A lot of good people probably did.  
''Lunkhead..'' weakly, her fist hit his upper stomach, separating them a bit.

''Well, finally!'' Farid chimed in from where he was sitting on a bunch of cargo-boxes, his presence temporarily forgotten. ''A little longer and I would've had to surgically separate you two.'', he laughed, gesturing them to tone it down a bit.  
He was probably right. There were a lot of people around, occupied, but familarities like these were probably still noticed quickly.

''Oh, right.. sorry.'' the prince stuttered, a little embarassed by his carelessness. ''Seems like you've taken quite the punch, though.'', he added, pointing towards the blood-soaked piece of cloth the older man was still pressing to his wound.

''Yeah, sure looks like it. Would've looked a hell lot worse on your little darling though, so its fine. A little favor here and there and we'll call it quits.''

''Of course.'' he nodded, not really responding to the joking nature of Farids' statement.  
''Oh, speaking of it, do you know where the General is? I think theres a lot of things to be discussed.'', he added, looking at some of the human soldiers around.

''I.. dont know.'' Eva said, memories of the battlefield re-appearing in her mind.   
''Last time I saw him was on the fields.'', she gestured to the bloodied helmet on the ground near her where she had placed it.   
''Its his. Gave it to me cause I could not breathe in the fog.''

''Oh..'', the prince frowned with a bit of concern, ''But.. you're okay now, right?''  
His hand went from where it had layed on her shoulder to her back, trying to comfort a bit.

''I'm alright. A bit banged up, but alright.''

''Okay. If you notice anything changing though, please tell me.''

''I will. Promise.''   
A weak smile came to her face. ''Its alright now.''

''Okay.''

For a small moment, they kept quiet.   
It would have been so nice to be able to be open with each other now. To continue where they had left off, to kiss, or even just hug..  
Before either of them could wallow in this feeling, the silence was broken.

''So.. You didnt know the Earths' forces were coming either?'' Farid asked as another ship landed somewhere outside the camp.

''No, not a word.'' Eva answered, trying to shake her head without straining it too much.

''Well.. Looks like we're going to have to do some negotiations ourselves, hm?'' Aikka nudged at her. It took all that was in him to not take her hand when they turned to go.

Eva followed his movements, a similar thought on her mind. What she wouldnt give to hold his hand right now..  
Suddenly, she felt herself run into him as he had stopped in his tracks, hitting his back awkwardly before looking up.  
Her blood ran cold.

As if he had appeared out of thin air, the General stood mere inches in front of them, arms crossed, and a look of pure dismay on his face.  
His armor looked broken and ripped in some places, still soaked in blood.  
Eva felt like a deer in the headlights as the same unsettling feeling she had experienced on the battlefield returned to her. 

''Hi.'' the taller man greeted, his snake-like eyes simply staring. Somehow, they looked more sunken in than usual, he was pale as well, a few scratches on his arms and torso giving away that he had been bleeding as well.

As the two younger ones just hushed in shared discomfort, Farid behind them started lauging.  
''Man, you're the greatest!'' he beamed, probably amused by their reaction.   
''You two should see your faces right now, oh man..'' too much laughter was apparently still a bit painful, though, and he soon resortet to a much more silent giggling.

''I see you two made your way back unscathed.'' the General simply stated, not reacting much to Farids' banter.  
His voice sounded even rougher than normal, ragged, his breath heaving.   
Suddenly, Eva felt just a bit guilty. He must have fought on in the dust for quite a while..

''They did.'' Aikka spoke. ''And I am deeply grateful for what you did to help them.'' he looked over the man briefly, ''Before we can start negotiations with the humans, you should get yourself looked at though. You seem a bit-''

''I've spoken to some of their soldiers already. Their officials won't arrive before tonight.''   
He stood straight as always, but he seemed very, very tired. 

''...Buddy?'' Farid asked, his tone much more serious. ''You should really-''

''It's fine. I just-'' He cleared his throat, an awful sound thrumming through him. ''Need some rest.''

''Are you sure?'' Eva asked, not sure where the sudden confidence had come from.

Before he could respond, another round of coughs ran over him, harsh enough to make him lean against a stack of boxes to his side.  
Now she felt _really_ guilty.  
She moved towards him, one hand on his shoulder in an attempt to turn him.   
''Dont-!'' he hissed between coughs, avoiding her gaze.   
There was fresh blood on the fabric of his glove where he had coughed. Something was very wrong.

''Fucking knew it.'' Farid mumbled, waving over to where some of Naris' assistants were currently working. ''Hey!'' he gestured, ''We're gonna need a little help here!''

''Farid, I swear to-'' the General growled, backing away further.

Eva gave him some space. He definately needed help, but the look on his face strongly suggested he was not gonna like it.

Sooner than anticipated, Nari herself approached the small group, greeting in her usual friendly manner. A bunch of assistents, both men and women, accompanied her, awaiting commands.

A few of them were assigned to taking care of Farids' wound for once, one even offered taking a look at the bruises on Evas' face.   
She accepted gladly, but kept on watching over the situation from where she was led to take a seat.

Nari was signing a lot to the General, she looked worried.  
He kept watching his surroundings like a caged animal, hushing the womans' concerns, even though it appeared that he could barely stand at this point.  
At one swift sign of her hand, some of Naris' assistants moved in to grab hold of him, he tried to fight it, but four of them seemed to be sufficient enough in bringing him to his knees against his complains.  
Even from the small distance, Eva could see that Nari was grinding her teeth, arms folded in malcontent.

''What is the matter over there?'' Eva asked over to Farid, trying to keep steady for the person that was currently cleaning off the dirt from her face.

At first, he only sighed. ''He.. doesnt really like the sickbay.'' he began, trying to find the right words. ''After the torture, when he was recued, he couldn't really move for.. a little over a month, I think. He was bound to the table for almost three weeks because the pain turned him mad, he would have made it worse.'' 

Two others started carefully taking off the broken pieces of armor from the General.   
He looked a bit less imposing in just the long-sleeved shirt, scrawny, even.

''He hasnt been the same since.''

''Oh..'' Eva swallowed. ''Thats.. horrible.''

''It was.''

Another assistant began holding the Generals' head back as Nari placed one hand over his heart, he was still trying to free himself somehow. For a man like him, he looked a bit more panicked than Eva had imagined.  
At Naris' command, the person holding his head covered his mouth with a firm grip, forcing him to breathe more deeply through the nose.   
He balled his fists hard enough to make his arms tremble. 

''Dont worry though. Nari knows what to do. Theres probably just a lot of that dust in his lungs.''

Only a few seconds later, some of the assistants losened their grips as Nari took a step back, the remaining few helping the man back up. It took him a little while to surpress his coughing, shoulders still shuddering by the time Nari led him to a set of nearby boxes to sit on. At her command, most assistants left the scene, only one of them returning soon after, handing a simple metal bucket to the General. He took it with a confused look on his face.

''Oh.. well, I was right about the dust-thing.'' Farid continued as he watched.

''Maybe you should look away for a while, Molly.'' Aikka added, obviously still a bit unnerved. ''Its not gonna be pretty.. But it looks a lot worse than it actually is.''

''What do you mean?'' 

Nari had both her hands on the back of the General, just below the shoulderblades. Eva had heard a lot about the elderly womans' alledged skill of spellcasting, but this must have been the first time she could actually observe it.  
Almost immediately, a dim white light emerged from her hands, she was concentrating, though it did not seem to take all that much effort from her. Plenty of experience, perhaps.  
The Generals' expression went pale, swallowing hard before another heavy coughing-fit set in. He hunched over the bucket slightly, blood dripping from his mouth and nose.

''Oh..'' Eva wanted to look away, but it was intriguing somehow. ''Why.. exactly..?'' she asked over to Aikka, wincing slightly as some desinfectant was applied to the deeper scratches on her face.

''For all I know, this is a spell to.. uhm.. Essentially, wash out the lungs by using blood and cell-water from the surrounding tissue. It looks pretty bad, but its less invasive than some other methods.''

The more the spell set in, the more gruesome it looked. Eva was lucky that she could not properly hear the choking noises the General was making from where she was watching.   
He did not look like he was in a lot of pain, but there was a rare kind of vulnerability in his gaze as he simply stared at the ground before him, eyes half-opened in exhaustion, blinking every now and then as if he was trying to keep conscious.

He looked like he was dying. 

''I really have to thank him after this..'' Eva muttered, nervously gripping at the edge of the box she was sitting on. ''After all, I'd be the one hacking up my insides if he hadnt helped me out.''

''I guess so.'' The prince sighed, eyebrows furrowed at the thought. 

 

It took about five minutes for the procedure to finally be over.   
He must have lost a fair amount of blood. He almost never looked healthy these days, but now it seemed that all residual strength had left him.  
Nari handed him a fresh towel to at least clean off his face. When she tried to get him to lay down for a while, a bit of defiance seemed to surface, be it only in the form of a simple, yet firm shake of the head.  
The elder woman agreed, leaving him at once with a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. 

He seemed to be more than determined to leave. A few minutes had to suffice for him to catch his breath before he got up, sluggishly setting one foot in front of the other, though his limp must have worsened a lot after the battle. 

''Do you think we should help him?'' Eva asked towards her friend, ripping him out of his concentrated state. 

Aikka nodded confidently. ''Cant hurt to offer it.''

Catching up to the man was more than easy, he had not even made it out of the makeshift-sickbay yet, leaning against some kind of huge machienery, cursing under his breath.

''Hey..'' Aikka approached at first, placing one hand on the mans' arm to steady him.

He must have not heard them coming, and the General jolted, throwing them a harsh look.  
''Dont touch me..'' he hissed, his voice hoarse from the treatment.  
He came to his senses in a heartbeat though, shaking his head with a sigh. ''Sorry. I didnt mean to.''

''Its alright.'' Eva chimed in, attempting to support his other side. ''Firstly, I wanted to thank you for helping me. Secondly, where are you even going?''

''Its nothing.'' he shrugged, ''I'll just look for some place.. quiet, and rest for a while. I believe there are some housing areas near the center of the camp.''

''Great, we'll help you get there without passing out, then.''

''No, its alright.'' he made himself stand a little more straight, but it was obvious how much effort it took. 

''I'm sorry, General, '' Aikka started, ''But you can barely walk. Its really not a problem, its the least we can do to-''

'' _I said.. its alright._ ''  
A certain kind of darkness hung over his words as he spoke. 

The two of them gave him some space. Maybe it really was best to leave him be for now.

''Thank you.''  
At that, the tall man went to leave. It was more than obvious that his old wounds were searing once again, yet he walked on, unwavering.

 

''I wonder if he's always been this weird..'' Eva turned to look at her friend. He seemed just as worried as she was. 

''Maybe.''


	26. The Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting for so long.. again... but there were a lot of exams and internship stuff and also a couple mental health thingys going on, so.. didnt really have the time to post. But I'm back for now, and this chapter is also rather plot-heavy, so yaaay!!  
> As always, please let me know how you like it! It really motivated me to push through with this project. (special thanks to charisse for commenting on almost every single chapter, it really cheers me on ^^)  
> Also special thanks to Lin, my beshtescht Beta-reader, for helping me with arranging the pacing of this chapter neatly.
> 
> (The concept of Cieres belongs to Inokoo on tumblr! Please check her out, super awesome person!!)

Most of their afternoon was spend simply walking through the basecamp, observing, trying to get some sort of order into everything that was happening. 

The Prince mostly took care of talking to his people while Eva did the same with the Earths' forces, occasionally meeting to gather what information they had. 

Way more quickly than initially thought, the soldiers from earth constructed rather large tents and cabins, most had walls of thick metals and linen, simple, yet durable.   
Their ships and machienery was positioned right outside the camp, their massive structures visible behind the housings and tents, chrome hulls shining brightly as the sun lowered its angle.   
Even just now, the contrast was a lot to take in.

But perhaps, it was just what was needed.   
For all Eva could tell, there were no obvious quarrels between the people just yet, quite the opposite in fact.  
More than just a few men and woman, both nourasian and human, gathered in groups here and there, talking and discussing, as they would with some of their own.

Nourasians were a rather hospitable folk, Eva had gotten to know that first-hand, but seeing it happen on such a large scale had not been expected.  
Perhaps they were already planning their cooperations, or maybe only sheer curiosity was fueling them, driving them together.

It was a nice feeling, undeniably.  
The night had been gruesome, the pain in her not yet dying down, but at least, there was hope.  
Maybe it would not have been the last of these nights yet. But if everything went right, there would at least be fewer..

 

As forecasted by the soldiers, the officials of earth arrived near evening, only a couple of hours left until sundown.  
The shuttle was massive, blocking out the light over the camp before it set down right next to it, the sun reflecting on its hull, agressively blinding those that had gathered.

The General was there as well.  
He did not look much better than he had in the morning, still visibly pale, face sunken in, with dark shadows under his eyes. At least, he had changed into some clothes that were not soaked through with blood, the usual black, long-sleeved shirt with more lose, lighter-coloured pants and thick combat boots, as most of his soldiers were wearing.   
The shirt was just tight enough to show the ridges between his ribs.   
No one dared to approach him, still.

As the hydraulics of the doors on the ship began howling, Eva felt a hand on her shoulder all of a sudden.

''There you are!'' the princes voice greeted her, the familiarity of it enough to keep her from jumping.  
She simply nudged at him with her arm, allowing herself to throw him a calm smile before facing the center of action once more.

''Just in time. Already thought you were going to miss it!'', she joked, watching as the doors began opening more and more.

A group of people emerged from the shuttle, quickly walking towards them.  
Both men and women, most of which looking around slyly as they exited, enthralled by this unfamiliar world.  
The first one in row seemed to concentrate more on the people in front of them, a victorious smirk on his face when he walked up.  
His hair was a dirty-looking, washed-out brown, the same bland colour found in his eyes and the neatly trimmed stubble on his face. He seemed like the typical instructor, camo-patterned pants with brown boots, a white tanktop, and a mean, gloating expression.

''Whos in charge of this place?'' he asked, or demanded, arms crossed as he scanned through the crowd.

''That would be us.'' The prince spoke up, encouraging Eva to come along towards the officials, waving over for the General to do so as well.

''I see. You must be the one they call 'Prince' around here, right?''

''I guess so.'' he was a little bit intrigued by the phrasing the man had chosen, yet they shook hands without further commenting.

''Hodges' the name, _Your Highness_.'' there was not a lot to really suggest it, but something in his voice sounded a tiny bit too insincere for Evas' taste.  
His hands were cold and dry by the time he reached her.  
''And you must be the Wei's girl, am I right? Must sure be glad to see some fellow humans around again, eh?'' 

''Wasnt too hard on me, if I'm being honest.''

''If you say so!'' he nodded, his gaze shifting towards the general for once.  
''Ah, well.''   
There was obvious tension when Hodges approached him. Something in the Generals' eyes looked even more stinging than usual, his expression drained of emotion, downright venomous.   
The human was a considerable amount shorter than the General, which was not an odd thing, but he definately had more muscle in comparison.  
Eva doubted he was 'stronger', though, considering the General was trained to crush _Crogs_ without issue.

''We've heard about you as well.'' 

''Good.'' his voice was still sore, rumbling deep within his chest.

Hodges did not seem to be too worried though. 

Eva was more than relieved nothing happened during or after they shook hands.  
Not that she should have expected it. They knew Dirak well enough to know he would not risk an entire planets' wellbeing just to take out his own anger.

''So.'' Hodges adressed them all, as well as the other officials with him, ''Do we have a place to discuss things at or will we have to stand around here?''

_''Already dont like this guy..''_

''There is a bigger building in the centre of the camp. That should suffice for now.'' The General spoke, most of the people simply nodding in agreement.  
''Alright, then.'', he turned, waving to no group in particular, ''Follow me.''

Eva noticed that some of the humans were whispering among themselves as they walked.  
Perhaps it was the first time they had been on this world. It must have been, for all she knew.   
The way Hodges was looking at the General before him as he walked stirred some thought in her, though.  
It was obvious those two did not like each other. Not one bit. But why? What reason should they have, if they had not met before? It was not Diraks' overall disliking of humans, it could not have been, he would have hated her as well when she first arrived.   
Hudges in particular should not have a reason for this kind of distrust in his eyes..

Just when she started brushing off her throughts, the human began walking closer to her.  
''Ey, '', he began, leaning in closer as if he was trying to shield his question from the one if front of them. But maybe he was not trying at all, for as loudly as he spoke.  
''Why's he walking like that? The guy cant be over 30, yet its lookin' like hes needing some crutches soon!''

Eva furrowed her brows. This man really was not the most tactful fellow..

''Uhm..'' she did not really know what to say, especially considering the look Dirak threw them over his shoulder, albeit just for a second. He had listened.

Hodges laughed, more or less loudly, patting her shoulder awkwardly.  
''Come on, 'ts a simple question!'' 

Without even looking, she could tell how Aikka was balling his fist as he walked beside her.  
At least they were on the same page about this human..

''Well, then you can ask him yourself, don't you think?'' she finally answered, the most insincere smile on her face.

~~~~~~

As expected, the first conference had been more of a political thing, rather than practical.  
While further discussions with the King would have to follow soon, for now, the basic path had been layed out.

From this very day, earth had a formal alliance with nourasia.  
As long as the war would rage, and if there were enough resources, earth would send out an efficient portion of their military. In exchange, resources and housing would be provided by the people of nourasia.

The conference had been over by the time the first rays of sun pierced through the clouds. It was still a bit cold when they left the building.  
A little bit of a chill breeze felt rather nice on the side of Evas face as she leisurely made her way around the building, though.  
There ought to be quite a bit of bruising the following days, she thought, yet she could not be entirely sure. The pain had subsided a lot ever since she had been taken care of at the sickbay earlier, perhaps there had been something in the water used to clean out the scratches on her skin.

Just around the corner, she was awaited.  
''Hey.'' the prince greeted, smiling at her with the usual kind expression in his eyes.  
He looked tired, shoulders slumped down, a couple lose strands of hair over his face. 

''Hi'', Eva returned the smile, moving to stand in front of him, taking a moment to look around before placing a quick kiss on his lips. ''You alright?''

He simply nodded, lowering himself slightly to place another one on her forehead, his hands on her sides, barely applying any pressure. ''You?''

''I'm fine.'' she snickered, laying her arms around his neck, standing on tip-toes to reach up to that height, pushing him back until his back hit the wall.   
''Mostly just happy.''

''About what?'' she felt his hands trail over to the small of her back carefully, warm against the cold air around them.

''About how everything worked out today.'', she whispered, playing with the ends of his hair absent-mindedly.   
''I mean.. We're officially on the same team now, hm? Just like we promised back then.'' 

''True..'' she felt him shift a bit, beginning to kiss at her neck affectionately.   
''It all fell right in our favor.'' he worked further down, stopping at her collarbone before simply indulging in their embrace again.  
''I love you so much..''

''I love you too.''  
She knew there would not be many moments like this after what happened today. Now, more than ever, they had to be careful. But having to do so on the same day they could have lost each other was still harder than thought.  
''Do you think anyone would notice if we shared a room tonight?''

''It'd be risky.'' he sighed, laning back a bit to look into her eyes.  
''But I'd be damned if we dont even _try_ to.''

''Thats what I thought.'' a victorious grin snuck onto her face.  
Just when she wanted to lean forward for another kiss, they were interrupted by a sudden noise.  
Footsteps.  
''Fuck!'' she hissed, quickly grabbing hold of Aikkas hand, pulling him with her as she darted towards a darker alleyway connecting to the narrow passage.

''Wait, who-'' he mumbled, before he was cut off by Evas hand over his mouth. 

''Shh!'' 

From around the corner, it was a bit hard to see, but the remaining darkness would be enough to hide them for now. 

The peculiar noise of the footsteps gave away who was passing through before they saw.  
It would not have been odd to see the General walk by himself.   
The fact that there was a second person following soon after was something else entirely.

Eva looked around the corner, sneakily.  
It should not have been that big of a surprise to her, but something still made her breath stop as she saw that _Hodges_ , of all people, had approached the taller man.. 

''So..'' Dirak spoke, obvious distaste in his voice.   
''What did you want to talk about?''

''Come on, dont play dumb.'' Hodges taunted, nervously folding his arms, looking around every now and then to check if no one was around.

Eva was a silent as she could be, trying to get a good look without giving away she was there at all. She felt Aikka lay his hand on hers all of a sudden, a dim light indicating he was using some sort of spell.

_'Whats going on? Can you see anything?'_ she heard him ask, yet he was not speaking. 

_'Hodges is talking to the General!'_ , she simply went along as best as she could, it was weird, but she had to admit it was a clever move.

 

''I just wanted to make sure..'' Hodges began, stepping closer to Dirak, ''That this whole alliance-thing can go smoothly, alright?''

The General raised his chin, looking down on the human, unwavering.  
''And you think thats for _me_ to decide?''

''Oh yes it is!'' Hodges hissed, clearing his throat before he would burst out further.  
''I just need to make sure you dont go back-stabbing on us because of what happened _back then..._ ''

''Oh, so you're scared that someone might let everyone know what sort of people just invaded this kingdom?'' his expression went dark, piercing with hatred.  
''Dont try to tell me you did not have part in what happened. I have seen what you have done there before. _I know_ what you have done.''

''So what?'', Hodges chuckled, ''Isn't going to bring her back now is it?''

_'He told the truth back then.'_ , Eva held her breath,   
_'About his wife. It seems like Earth really did take part in what happened to her.'_

''You will not speak of her like that!'', the General growled, towering Hodges, voice still raw and rumbling from the dust. This may have been the first time Eva had ever seen him _truly_ angry. 

Hodges almost jumped backwards.

''Disgusting...'' he slowly walked around the human, the tension of it all making it feel like a bomb was about to go off. She was not completely sure if her mind was playing tricks on her, but Eva thought she saw thin, glowing streams on the Generals' neck, a dim blue light spreading over his veins, illuminating the piercing look in his eyes.  
''Finding something to _laugh_ about murder.. Is that funny where you come from? Hm?!''

''Calm down.'' Hodges ordered, drawing a gun from his belt, raising it to the level of the Generals' chest.   
Eva held her breath. This was getting out of hand.

_'We have to do something!_ Aikka insisted, being held back in the last possible second.

_'Wait!'_

''Oh, _now_ I'm the one whos gotta laugh.'', Dirak spoke, approaching further, until the tip of the gun met his sternum.  
''You think you can threaten me?''

Hodges didnt seem to have expected this. At least he was silent now.

''All I have ever cared about died at your hands. I would burn this whole rotten planet down if it meant getting her back.'' he pushed forward against the gun until Hodges' back met the wall behind him.  
''You murder my wife, my _children_ , and you expect me to still fear death?!''

''Fuck..'' Hodges huffed, trying hard to hide his fear.   
''You got her pregnant? Huh.''

For a few agonizing moments, no one said another word.

Finally, the General grit his teeth.  
''I will not stand in the way of this alliance. I owe that to my people. There is no point in dragging them down into misery just for revenge.'' he turned slightly, Eva jolted back behind the corner she was hiding in, just before he could have seen her, heart still racing in anxiety.  
''But do not think I will forget. The time will come where you will pay.''

Just when he began to walk away, Hodges raised his gun at him once more, aiming it towards the left side of his chest.  
''Stroyrd!''

The taller man stopped, barely even reacting.

''One word about what happened on Cieres..'' he unlocked the trigger, emphasizing his point.

_'Cieres?'_ Eva felt the word was echoing through both her and Aikkas' head.

''I've told you already. It's too late for them.''   
He did not pull away, glancing at the sky briefly. It was almost morning.  
''And by the way,'' he grabbed hold of the gun before shoving it away from himself harshly, ''That is not where our hearts are.''

The two men left without any more complications, dissapearing into the streets just as the sun rose over the horizon at once.

''Damn..'' Eva sighed, leaning against the wall, relief washing over her. They had not been found out about.

''We have to find out what happened. This.. This is far too dangerous to leave at that!''  
Aikka nervously scratched the back of his head, walking up and down a few steps.  
''I.. I have heard of Cieres. There used to be a big market, basically the whole economy was centered around that I think. Used to be a popular place to travel to for a lot of us. I didnt know humans were there too..?''

''Neither have I... I think I've heard the name somewhere, I cant remember. But you're right, we _have_ to find out more. But how? I bet neither of them will tell us about it. Even Farid refused to.''

''Well... It would be tricky..'', the prince bit his lip, the spark of a sudden thought almost visible in his gaze,  
''But I might just have an idea.''


	27. The Ritual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This didnt fit in one chapter, soooo guess whos posting a second time this month!!!  
> Honestly Ive been looking forward to this plotpoint for such a long time. I'd be very exited to hear what ya'll think so far!   
> I'll be posting the rest of the chapter as soon as possible, possibly by next week if everything goes right!
> 
> (very smol warning for blood/injury. its very small though)

Just explaining his 'plan' took longer than Eva had anticipated.   
At least the coffee was helping her stay awake through all of it as she sat with him on the edge of her bed. She had not realized how long it had been since she last had proper earthly coffee, so its effect was stronger than she remembered. 

''So..'' she began, setting the empty cup back on the nightstand before swinging her feet up onto Aikkas lap,   
''You're telling me.. That theres a way you can access his... memories?''

''Basically.'' he sighed, beginning to leisurely knead away as he talked,  
''I mean.. Its a forbidden spell, but its the best thing I can think of right now. If anyone finds out I used blood-magic though.. I'd be.. screwed, as you'd say.''

''Losing-your-right-to-the-throne-screwed or dishonorably-executed-screwed?''

''Uhm.. I dont really know. I'd like to think only the first one, but I'm afraid I'd be a mixture of both.''

''Oh.''   
He was not really paying full attention to it, but the way he was massaging her feet was just what she had needed right now. He had done so a bunch of times before when they had shared a place, she recalled, he certainly was not the best at it, but it was enough to soothe the ache in her bones.   
She layed back further on the bed, arms crossed behind her head, looking at the ceiling.  
''Are you sure it would be worth it? I dont think Dirak would break his word.''

''I know.. But we dont know if Hodges will. He.. does not seem like the most kindhearted person.''

''Thats one way of saying it.'' Eva laughed. 

''Heh. I guess.'' he smiled, but with a tired undertone in his expression.  
''We cant risk this messing up the alliance though. We need to know what happened on Cieres, the sooner the better.''

''I know..'' she yawned, but shook off the residual exhaustion.  
''How are we going to go about it though? We cant just ask him nicely, I suppose.''

''Well..'', the prince started, gritting his teeth nervously,   
''In order for the spell to work, I have to make a small cut on his neck, and one on my hand, so the blood can connect my mind to his.''

They both went quiet for a second.

''...He's going to kill you, you know that?'' 

''Yeah.. he's not going to be too happy..''

''How are we going to _cut_ him, anyway? I dare say he's stronger than both of us.''

''True.. I think I've got a solution though. I thought I'd sneak into the sickbays' storage later and get a few things. If I can get my hands on the right stuff and we manage to get it into him somehow, getting him to cooperate should be a lot easier.''

''Well, if you say so. Some duct-tape and ropes would still be appropriate, in my opinion.''

''Duct-tape was the strong kind, right?'' he asked sheepishly, raising an eyebrow.

''Right.'' Eva smiled. While being together was rather natural at this point, sometimes these differences between species still resurfaced. It was more than worth it though.

''But we have to be lucky with the dosage. He has to be at least somewhat conscious.''

''Great.'' She rubbed her hands over her face in defeat.  
''I was hoping we could just hit something heavy over his head and drag him back into a dark corner or something.''

''Then he'd _definately_ kill us.''

''He's gonna kill us anyway! _Especially_ when he's conscious!''  
Just before they could start laughing at the absurdity of it all, a sudden thought surfaced in her mind.  
''Wait.. wasn't there something about him being immune to Ekkos' poison? Doesn't that do something with his blood?''

''It does, actually.. Makes it slightly poisonous, if I remember correctly.

''And you want that in your system?''

''Well... As long as he does not activate the spells that come with it, I should be fine. I can put some spells on myself beforehand too, just in case.''

''Good idea. But I'll keep an eye on you just in case.''

''I was hoping for that~'' he laughed, hands playfully trailing up her leg.

''Careful there _prince_ , or I'll finish what we started before that bomb went off yesterday!''

''Thinking about it..'' he moved, placing his hands by her sides, keeping himself from fully laying on her,  
''Sounds awfully pleasant right now, doesn't it?''

Eva gently took hold of his face, pulling him closer until their lips could touch.  
''Oh man..'' she sighed after a few seconds, breaking the contact just enough to speak,   
''You dont know how badly I've been wanting to do that..''

''I think I do.'' He shifted to kiss at her cheek while her arms wrapped around him, slowly moving downwards, almost leaving a hickey at her throat.

''Thats sort of your thing, hm?'' she asked, lightly scratching at the fabric of his shirt, between his shoulders.

''Maybe so.''   
Their eyes met for a short second, before they met with a proper kiss once more, no one daring to pull away for now.  
As their kiss deepened, Eva felt his hand at her waist, ever so slightly shifting her shirt upwards. He was just a bit cold against her skin, but not enough to make it uncomfortable.   
His touch didn't get too bold yet.

''Go ahead.'', Eva assured him, a delighted smile finding its way onto her face.

''Are you sure?'' he asked quietly. As much as they had been bantering, there was honesty in his eyes as he spoke. 

Slowly, she began to sit up, kissing his lips as carefully, as intentionally as she could.   
''I am.'' 

He accomodated her movements, pulling her close until she simply sat on his lap, facing him, legs wrapped around him.  
''I'm glad..''

She ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his head, shivers running down his spine as he snuck his hands under her shirt. He didnt immediately react upon her permission, but soon enough his touch moved up her sides, their kiss breaking when he pulled the shirt over her head for once, tossing it onto the bed behind them.

''You dont have to be.'' Eva rested her forehead against his for now, the tip of her nose barely touching his.   
''I trust you.''

His arms wrapped around her back, pulling her flush against him.   
''You do?'' they remained like that for a while. After all that happened, being this close was rewarding in itself.  
''After all that I did back on Oban, I don't really deserve that, dont you thi-'' he stopped abruptly, his hands on her shoulders as he looked down at her,   
''Oh god.'' 

''Whats the matter?'' her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she followed his gaze.  
There was a huge bruise on her side.   
She did not know how she managed to overlook it. Sure, there had been a dull pain all day, just as in the rest of her body. Maybe it had been there for a while, but only recently started to darken, as bruises usually did.   
It probably looked worse than it was, stretching from her ribs all the way down to her hip, tones of light and dark reds and purples blotched all throughout it.

''Oh..'' she whispered, a bit shocked by the sight herself.   
''Thats.. a bit..''

''No..'' Aikka couldnt help but stare a bit, hand ghosting over the area, not daring to make contact with her skin.  
''Should.. should we let Nari take a look at this? This is.. huge..''

''No, its alright.'' she shook her head quickly.  
''They checked up on me already.. i think if it was anything really bad, they would have noticed. Its just the side I landed on when we crashed, so.. it got a bit mangled, I guess..''

''You sure? Doesnt it hurt?''

''Well, it didnt when you brushed over it a minute ago, I guess..''

''I'm sorry.'' 

''Dont be.'' she reached down to feel over it for herself, just to make sure. Sure, it was not all that pleasant, but it wasnt the worst pain either. Dull, but not thrumming, at least.

''Hm..'' the prince sighed, his concerned expression remaining.   
''How... how about we just lay down for now? Its been a rough day.''

''Well.. Sounds good.'' She agreed, though she had to admit she was just a bit dissapointed..

 

Defeated, she simply let herself slump backwards, pulling Aikka with her. They ended up as they always did, next to each other, huddled together as closely as they could.

''Maybe next time we'll get to the level of taking this goddamn bra off before we get interrupted..'' she joked.

''If you tell me how to get that contraption open, sure!''

~~~

Falling asleep had been more than easy, despite the light of day brightly illuminating the room.

Eva was alone when she woke, a couple of hours after midday.  
''Hm..?'' she rose, yawning with her residual exhaustion, sluggishly combing through the mess her hair had become.  
As expected, there was a small note on the nightstand.

_'I went out to get some things sorted, didn't want to wake you up. There is food in the drawers in case you're hungry, and some medicine if you're not feeling well.  
Meet me at the council building when you're ready.'_

She huffed, shaking her head with a tired smile. Typical..  
Adorable nonetheless.

She actually did take some of the painkillers she found, maybe just to dull the residual aches a little.

Soon she headed out to meet the prince, a filled breadroll on the go enough to suffice for now.

The sky was clear on this day, nice and blue, the sun already warm and comforting on her skin.  
Eva didn't have to wait too long until her friend arrived at the assigned spot near the building.

''Hey.'' he greeted, looking a lot more rested than the night before, but visibly nervous.

''Hey!'', she smiled, tilting her head sneakily,   
''How'd you.. know?''

''Still that mental connection. Sort of. Not strong enough to communicate, but I think we've done that enough by now that.. Well, I had a feeling.'' 

''I see. Gotten any further with our plan though?''

''I did!'' he announced sort of proudly, but keeping an eye on their surroundings, as always.  
''I managed getting the things from the storage, and I also got to find out how we can go about it.''

''And that would be..?'' it sounded like they were off to a good start, at least.

''I talked to Farid about where we could find him.There is a bar on the western side of the camp, not far from where the General stays at the moment. He said that with some luck, he might be going there tonight. Apparently mentioned something about it earlier.''

''That sounds good.'', she admitted, crossing her arms,   
''But I dare say neither of us are particularily good ad roofy-ing someone elses drink without their knowledge.''

''I believe I've already taken care of that. I spoke to the barkeeper, and he agreed to do that for us. The news about him being a bit ruffled by what happened on the battlefield seems to have spread that far, he believed when I said its just something to help him recover.''

''Oh. Well..'', she chuckled. That was easier than thought.  
''Guess it had something good about it after all!''

''True. Now we just have to wait, basically.''

''So what do we do in the meantime?''

The prince smiled, offering his hand for her to hold, overly proper as always.  
''Would a walk be proficient?''

~~~

Nighttime came sooner than expected.   
Just when the sun had set completely, the two of them found themselves at the small building. There were a lot of people inside, weirdly both human and nourasian soldiers.

''Man.. I know we've been through stuff that was a lot worse, but I'm actually pretty nervous right now..'', the prince murmured, more to himself than to his partner next to him.

''True..'' Eva chimed in. She could not deny the fear that was slowly but surely starting to rise within her, the glass of wine in her hand not doing much to calm her senses. Of course it would not, she thought. These liqours have never had much of an effect before.  
They had positioned themselves close to the doorways, keeping an eye on the situation.  
The General had really showed up as anticipated, they watched closely, yet tried to stay out of his obvious view.

Aikka himself stayed sober. Spells were never easy to perform, and today he would need all the concentration he could gather.  
''We've got everything ready at our place, right?''

''Right. Man, this feels kind of like a heist. But, on.. Memories, I guess.'', she spoke rather quietly, so no one would hear.

''Heh, right..''

 

It took about half an hour until the General stood up.   
From what she could see, he was a bit more unsteady on his feet than one would normally be from a couple of drinks.  
He left a (fairly generous) tip on the counter, before he started heading for the door.   
''Do you think it worked?''   
Just when she asked, the young man waiting their area gave them a sign from a short distance over.

''I guess that means yes..''

They waited until he was just out of the bar before following.  
Naturally, he had not gotten too far in his condition, leaning against a wall in the alley nearby.   
It seemed that he _wanted_ to go on, but his body refused his commands. Especially his bad leg was giving him trouble, being dragged on rather than actually supporting anything as it should.

''Hey.. uhm..'' Eva began when they approached, the menacing look in his eyes when he turned slightly to see who it had been silencing her for a moment.   
In the dark with only a little bit of moonlight, he looked even more like an old man than he usually did.   
He was keeping himself on his feet with one arm against the wall, but it was obvious how much energy that took.   
''What is it?'' he asked, maybe he had already taken the hint of what was going on. The tone he was using sure suggested it.

In all honesty, neither of them knew what to say.  
The General tried to go on, but nearly stumbled in his attempt, cursing under his breath.

''Come on now.'', the prince began, starting to grab hold of the taller man, perhaps so he would not actually fall. Whatever the General had taken must have been working, for he did not immediately fight it.  
''Just come with us.'' he gestured for Eva to help him.

Compared to this man, she felt tiny. His height alone was impressive, and he seemed to weigh a fair amount as well, even divided between her and Aikka, as each of them took one of his arms over their shoulders.  
Well, perhaps he was much too _light_ for a man his size. His arms alone felt rough and wiry, muscles hard, some bones sticking out enough to hurt her. 

Every second, she expected the General to finally snap, but apart from angry complaints, his attempts were little.  
''Get the hell... get away from me..'', he growled, barely able to keep his head up at this point. His mind seemed to be rather blurred, though there was a spark of fury still within him, he was refusing with everything he had.

''Yo!''  
The sudden call from behind had caught them off guard, so much so in fact that thay almost dropped the man they were trying to carry (well, 'dragging' would have been a much more fitting word to descripe it, really.)  
Farid. Out of all people.  
''Whats going on here?'' he asked upon catching up on them, but in a friendly manner. They could not tell if he was suspecting anything.

''Oh, uh, nothing really!'' Eva began, giving her best impression of a totally unsuspicious citizen.  
Aikka was apparently still thinking of a way to explain it all, leaving the talking to her for now, much to Evas' dismay.  
''He just.. One too many drinks I guess! We're just helping out, still owed him one after all.''  
From the corner of her eye, she saw Aikka nod in agreement.

''Yup!''

''Sh.. shut your fucking faces..'' the tall man grunted, trying to push away from them, but being held back with ease.

''Okay..'' Farid raised an eyebrow, but shrugged just a few seconds of awkward silence after.  
''Thats nice of you. I guess.'' he took the opportunity to ruffle the Generals' hair briefly, heading to go his merry way again as quickly as he had appeared.  
''Get some rest, buddy!''

They waited until he was completely, _definately_ gone until they dared to even speak again.

''That was.. _much_ too close!'' Eva hissed, more or less angry, but making sure not to be too loud, just in case.  
''And why did _I_ have to deal with it? I thought _you_ were the 'experienced-politic-diplomat-talking-type' out of the two of us?!''

''I'm sorry! I froze!''

''I'll give.. I'm gonna give you.. reason to _fucking freeze_ , you goddamn..'' the General started, but talking in a way that made sense was harder than it should be.

''Lets go on. Quick!'' Eva ordered before either of them could think about it too long.

 

They continued to maneuver the man through the alleys. Luckily, the path to their place was empty at this time of day, so they managed to get there without any more disturbances.

The sight of it must have been hilarious in itself.  
A single chair had been set up near the 'living room', it was much too small to be considered such, which was rather understandable in a tiny, functional house as this was. It had been the only room with windows that could be completely closed though, so the choice had been easy.  
As fast as they could, they began tying the General to said chair.  
Duct tape and ropes had to suffice, which it apparently did, though neither of them fully trusted it.

''What the fuck are you doing..'' Dirak huffed, managing to shoot an angry glare up at them.

''By coincidence, we overheard your conversation with Hodges yesterday. This is your last chance to tell us exactly what happened on Cieres, and what your wife had to do with it.''

The man let out a deep, sarcastic chuckle, breath heaving from exhaustion.  
''With all due respect. Forget it.''

''Then, we have no choice.''  
The prince looked over to Eva, his expression enough to tell her that there was no way out now.  
She closed the door behind her, turning the keys. The only light in the room was a simple bulb right above them, adding to the gloomy athmosphere.  
From his belt, Aikka took a simple dagger, turning it in his hands, convincing himself of its sharpness.

'Can you hold his head back for me?', he asked Eva, not speaking. Without another word, she agreed, reluctantly positioning herself towards the Generals' back.  
Before she could think about it for too long, she grabbed hold of him as ordered, using her grip below his jaw to tilt him back slightly, brushing back some strands of hair that hung over his soulder. It was as coarse as she had expected, the individual hairs thicker like they were on the average person, but a lot softer than anticipated.

With the skin now exposed, Aikka moved in to make a small cut on the side of the mans' neck, just enough to draw a thin stream of blood.  
Eva felt how the General grit his teeth at the bite of the blade. Hopefully the sedatives were not wearing off yet..

Quickly, the prince made another small incision, at the palm of his own right hand this time.  
'Thanks. You can stand back now.'  
A drop of blood fell to the ground before him.

'Hey, careful!', Eva answered, a lot of concern accompanying her worried expression at the sight of it.

'Dont worry. Dont really feel much in that hand anymore, remember?'

'Right.'  
So it was official. No turning back now.

''You _really_ want to use blood magic? The _forbidden_ curses?'', Dirak taunted, the circles under his eyes as dark as ever. Maybe it was just the lighting.  
The prince did not answer. It was decided.  
''Well, then.'' just before Aikka could start the connection, the Generals' gaze met his own, piercing, making his blood freeze for a second.  
''I'll do all within my power to make you see _nothing._ ''

The spells that were needed did not have to be spoken out loud.   
Right when he layed his hand over the wound on the older mans' neck, everything went black.


	28. The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know I promised to upload this much sooner, but it is technically thrice as long as the usual chapters and I was a bit busy with internships and such, sooo...   
> I really hope you all enjoy this and I'd love to hear your thoughts, this chapter might just be the hardest one to write yet.  
> Theres gonna be a few notes at the end which are important!
> 
> Special thanks to my beta-reader Lin for bearing with this monster of a chapter haha

It was way harder than he had imagined.  
Like being stuck in a maze, but far different from just being trapped by manifested walls.

A persons mind was hard to describe.  
Some memories were more prominent than others, some clear, as if they had just happened, others faded, blurred, like old polaroids, slipping away like sand running through your fingers.

The prince knew that he was separate from the situation, but there was no bodily feeling in it anymore.

Memories were hard to grasp, even harder to hold on to.   
The first one he managed to manifest hit him like a cargo train. 

He had not tried to think about how memories would show themselves beforehand, perhaps he had hoped it would be a little more distant.

_The darkness cleared, yet there was a dull light over his eyes.  
He could feel his hand. It had been the first thing he noticed. He knew he was seprate from it, _he knew _, it was clear that he was just inheriting the Generals' point of view, seeing what he had seen, feeling what he had felt, but distant, disconnected from it._

_''Get out of my way.'' a dark voice growled at him, he was raising his head to look up. Aikka could not do anything to stop that, or any movements, really. It made sense, at least._  
For a second, he thought their plan had failed.  
The one he was looking at, the person towering before him, with dark eyes and anger, so much anger in his voice, he looked so much like the General.  
Yet, there was something off about it.. 

_He did not speak his answer.  
Before being given even a second to react, he felt the side of his face being struck by what must have been the hardest backhand-slap known to mankind, hard enough to make his head collide with something even harder towards the other side, the sound of plates, pottery and whatnot giving away it must have been a cupboard._

_''Don't!'' a smaller voice chimed in from behind. Someone was gripping the fabric of the shirt on his back, trying to pull away._  
His brother. It must have been his brother.   
Aikka did not know why, but the feeling of this memory left no doubt about it.  
He felt himself move, shielding the smaller one further, his head thrumming as a slight tint of red fell over the right side of his vision. The impact on the cupboard must have torn some skin.  
Was this how the General had gotten the scar over his eye? 

_''You will_ not _make him fight in this war too, if he does not want to. It's bad enough that I have to to so eventually, is that not enough, father?!''  
So this was what was happening.   
It was weird to listen to onesself speak, yet it being someone else entirely.._

__This memory would not help much, Aikka determined.

Like tearing away from paralysis, the prince moved on, but felt a pull towards another memory almost immediately. It must have happened close to the previous one, shortly after, the pain over his brow not yet dying down.

_''Hold still.''_  
A female voice this time.  
It was a bit harder to see her face, one eye closed shut at the thrumming ache. 

_She had to be his mother._  
She looked young, yet the memory was old like the one before, naturally. If he had to guess, the General must have been around 14, maybe 15 years old at the time.  
His mother was a rather elegant woman, beautiful even, but not in an approachable way.  
Her hair was more or less short, blonde, straight as blades of grass, some strands braided in luxurious, complex ways.   
Dirak must have gotten most of his looks from his father, but the cold, stinging look in his eyes had to be from his mothers' side. At least, the way she looked at him reminded him a lot of the Generals' cold gaze.  
Before he could indulge in thought for too much, another sting of pain ran through him.  
Now he saw more clearly what was going on.  
Stitches.   
It was not really clear wether or not her actions were something comparable to 'caring', if this woman was even able to deliver such feelings. There was not as much of a negative association in the generals' mind, for all it was worth. 

_''Its going to scar.'' she simply stated, continuing to close the wound, one prick of the needle at a time._

_''Hm.'', he answered, thinking nothing much of it. A particularily nasty sting made him twitch away slightly, it had not been his intention, but he felt bad for a second._

_''Its goint to scar_ worse _if you keep moving.''_

_Enough of this._  
If he concentrated well enough, there must have been a way to move on further, maybe there were hints in more recent times, or at leats just a little bit more in the future..

_Snow._  
The feeling of one certain memory he noticed made him stick around.   
_Cold, biting at him, but there was no sorrow near._  
This was not a memory from this earth. Or was it? There was no way to tell..  
 _Someone was laughing. The way her voice was echoing through his head set off a familiar, warm feeling in him, making his heart flutter.  
He _loved _the person behind this voice._  
His wife!   
The memory had to take place a couple of years after the first one, maybe in his 19th or 20st year or so, it was harder to hold on to than the ones before, a lot harder in fact.  
He had to stick around.   
_A ball of snow hit his shoulder.  
''Got you!'', her voice beamed once more, he was bending down to get a handful of snow himself.  
The small glimpse he got of the woman a good couple of metres away was barely enough to see that she was wrapped in a thick scarf and appropriate, yet classy winterwear. The fact it was heavily snowing did not help much either.  
''Oh yeah?'', Dirak answered, flinging a quickly formed ball towards her in return, chasing after her playfully, occasionally dodging (or taking) another load of snow.  
Noticing how he was _smiling _seemed a bit... new to the prince. Had he really never whitnessed this man truly happy? It felt bitter somehow. But not in this memory._

_There was a dull pain in his ribs, though. Enough to suggest something was broken, or at least still fresh, not fully healed. It did not dampen the mood in any way._

_''Got you!'' he declared suddenly, Aikka had not been able to keep track of how long he had been watching, but he had caught up to the woman, tackling her over into a larger mound of snow. She was pretty small, especially compared to the General._  
It must have been sometime before his injuries.   
Just when he thought he would get a better look at her, he felt a handful of snow being rubbed in his face as a counter-attack.   
They were laughing. He had a feeling this was a pretty rare kind of memory.. 

__He let go, not really sure if holding on had been too hard or if something else had pulled him away.  
There had to be something else..

The third memory emerged differently. Immediately, one could tell it had a special place. It must have been even older than the first ones, small details about it faded and blurred, but the main idea was still clearly visible.

_He was standing in a room in the academy.  
It was sometime towards the end of his 14th year of age, it must have been._

_Everyone got their mounts around that time, if not sooner in some cases._

_Someone carried a wooden box to him, holes on either side and on top, the memory not enough to reveal the persons face properly._

_''Its not imprinted yet. Make sure you're the first one it sees. Train it well, and try not to get stung.''_

_''Understood.''_

_He heard the small creature hiss while he carried the box to a separate location, a simple room only a few corridors away. The Generals' past dorm, if he had to guess. It felt familiar in here, safe._

_A deep breath, and the locks were opened.  
The scorpion inside was only the size of the young mans' forearm, scales still soft and shiny, brightly white in colour, only a small opalescent hue suggesting the darker blue tones it would inherit later in life._

_''There we go. Better than being locked up, right, little one?'', he spoke softly as the creature took a brave little step outside of its wooden enclosure, towards where he was kneeling._  
For its size, the eyes were a tad too big, round like buttons, fearful in a way. The little squeak it let out at his voice was.. adorable, somehow.   
''Come on, you can do it. I'm not gonna hurt you.''  
Hearing him talk seemed to calm the small thing, it crawled over a final few inches until it was almost touching the Generals' leg before it stopped, cowering behind its pincers, creaking to itself.  
''I wonder where they picked you up though. I bet you were pretty scared.''  
Normally, he would not speak to himself like that. It was clear that he did it intentionally. 

_The scorpion meekly took hold of the fabric of the Generals' trousers with its pincer, as if trying to find out if he was a threat or not. It looked more like a very small child holding on to its parent, though.  
Dirak let out an amused giggle. ''Must admit, you're pretty cute for something that venomous!''_

_At that, it started to crawl onto his lap, using his shirt to climb over his side to his back, where it clung to the fabric with the small hooks on its feet, trying to nuzzle to him as closely as it could, cooing contently._

_''I'm.. not entirely sure if thats what you guys do, but alright I guess!''  
He stayed like that for now. ''I think I will call you Ekko.''_

The prince almost choked as the image suddenly changed, like a piece of paper tearing.   
There was a shift in time, a jump to many year in the future.  
He was not sure what had triggered it.  
The first thing that he noticed was that this memory was infinately more clear than either of those he had seen before, every last morsel of it as bright and visible as polished glass..

_Like a heavy rock on his chest, pure anger poisoned his mind._  
This memory had to be important, but not in a good way.   
It was something that haunted the General. 

_Anger._  
He was not sure if there was fear as well, but even if there was, he could not show it to the set of large monsters standing around him.  
Crogs. 

_He was tied to a table, cold metal biting into the skin on his back._  
Before he could analyze the situation further, a maddening shot of pain blinded him, starting at his right leg, all the way up to his side, ribs shuddering with each breath. Some were broken, but on purpose, each in the same place, not just ripped and crushed like the bones in his leg..  
Aikka wished that he hadn't, but he got a look at the damage. Luckily, most was covered by the dark fabric of his pants, but there were bones sticking out, some tears in the linen revealing their grotesque whiteness against the deeply red blood, black where it had attempted to dry, but still streaming in a steady flow around the wound, thin, dripping down onto the table. 

_How was he not screaming?! He could feel that he wanted to, but he did not, he willingly fought against it._

_''You cant keep this up forever, Stroyrd.'' a taunting voice ran through his ears, his teeth gritted harshly. He kept quiet.  
The pressure on his ribcage increased, until another rib snapped. The pain pushed the breath out of his lungs, it was too much, _too much, _, but more than a yelp did not leave his throat. He had to breathe, he could not let them win. If he died, then they would have won, it would all be for nothing._

_He knew how his troops were looking up to him. He was aware of their respect, but also their fear of him. The General was a symbol of war itself. It had to come down to a situation like this sooner or later. It was bitter, but he was not surprised by the pain anymore. Maybe he was the monster everyone saw in him, but he could ot leave them alone. They needed his strengh.  
Aikka could swear he heard a single thought, as if the man had spoken it out loud.   
_I hope I can still be of use after this.. _  
The prince tried to get out of this memory, he had no business being here in the first place, but he could not detach no matter how hard he tried, as if someone was forcefully pushing his head underwater, waiting for him to drown. He could only imagine how awful it must have been to have_ really _been there in the moment, to truly feel your bones break, to be robbed of your power as you wallow in thoughts of life and death.._

_He would never see_ her _again.  
The thought radiated in his mind, he clung to it, as hard as he could.  
The General had made a promise, one that was too important for him to break, a long time ago.   
He wanted to see her again.   
He missed that woman, he always did, the feeling of it was drilled into his mind from the second this memory had started. _

_''Are you_ sure _you dont remember the whereabouts of the royal family?''  
So this was what it was all about..  
Suddenly, Aikka felt a burst of guilt within himself. In a way, it had been _his _fault..._  
There was hatred. It was hard to tell exactly how, it was a feeling that was more complex than just obvious anger towards the Crogs in the room..

_''To hell with you..'' Dirak growled, throat raw and rugged, keeping his composure when he glared at the beasts around him._

_''Very well then. Sooner or later, you'll break.''_  
The Crog eyed a metal container a little bit to the side near the wall of the room, hung over what looked like a small fireplace.  
''But I'd say we have some ways of speeding it up.'' 

_The General tried to block out the pain, but one could feel the fear rising when one of the Crogs quickly took hold of the container, yanking it away from the flame.  
Before he could realize what was happening, the liquid within the container was poured over his stomach, it was boiling, _burning, _running down his side as it ripped away his skin, down to the muscles..  
Now, he was screaming.   
It probably did not, but it felt like the liquid melted away into his insides, he tore at his restraints, yelling, but the pain did not stop, it could not, and he could not escape, he just wanted it to _stop- __

_'Why won't you let me die?!', his mind screamed, the last thing Aikka could hear before he was able to leave._

_He did not know how much time had been skipped.  
The only thing he could feel was pain, sometimes less, sometimes more, and darkness. It could not have been long. There were restraints over him, something over his eyes, needles in his arm. He heard voices sometimes, much kinder ones than Crogs could be, even though it still hurt his head. It had to be the sickbay._

_Maybe weeks passed in this state, maybe just hours or minutes.  
Consciousness was constantly drifting, a sharp burn in his arm every now and them before darkness faded to nothingness, and the next thing he felt was waking up once again to the dark, and pain searing through his body. _

__As best as he could, Aikka detached to skip forward in the stream of memories. This was awful, just awful, he did not know it had been like this.. Sure, tales got around when it happened, even reaching him and his parents, but seeing it in first-person was something he wished he could forget.

 

_''Dirak?''_  
A familiar voice. Farid.  
They were sitting on the edge of a bed, his whole body was aching, bandages wrapped all around his leg and abdomen, but he felt dull, hazy. Painkillers, if he had to guess.  
Farid looked almost the same as he did these days, yet obviously a tad younger.   
He felt him put a hand on his shoulder, deep concern on his face.  
It must have been about a month after the incident. It had been enough to rob the General of any and all energy, his arms alone visibly thinner, his skin pale, dark veins running underneath. Even worse than what he looked like in present times.. 

_''Hm?''  
Keeping a conversation was still hard, but he could not disappoint his friend. _

_Farid sighed, a little bit of hope in his eyes before he found the right words to say. He got a letter from his pocket, the General immediately recognized the handwriting on its envelope. It was from his wife.  
''She's not all the way back on track, but.. Shes awake.''_

_His blood ran cold at the news, but in a way that sparked a rare thought of hope in him.  
It was hard to tell, but there were hints in his mind about her wellbeing, probably prior to what had happened with the Crogs. Had she been a soldier in the war as well? By all means, it was possible._

_''When?'' he asked, trying to fidget the letter out, hands shaking and unsteady._

_''The letter got here about 4 days ago. Why?''_

_''I.. I need to go to her. She needs me, I.. I hope she does, I have to-''  
'What if she doesn't want me anymore?'  
The thought echoed steadily in his mind, but it felt more like a knife had been rammed into his chest. He even knew that he _should not _feel like that, but he could not fight it._

_''Easy, man, you can barely keep yourself upright yet.''_

_''It doesn't matter.'' he shook his head, then turned his gaze to his friend.  
''Please, Farid, I have to. I need to talk to her.''_

_''Nari is not going to be happy, you know?''  
He would help him. There was no doubt about it._

__Just when he thought he had found a trace, the stream of memories seemed to collapse into itself, the sense of past and future starting to get lost the harder he tried to hold on.  
Maybe the medicine they had given him was starting to wear off. He was starting to fight back.  
It took all of his concentration to keep the connection, but Aikka would not give up now. There just had to be something, anything,...

_'Are you really sure you want to do this?'_  
It was weird to see how easily the General could decipher sign language.   
It was sometime in his 16th year.  
The air and athmosphere suggested he was sitting in the medbay, somewhere deep underground.  
Nari was sitting in front of him, a concerned, unnerved look in her eyes. 

_''I am. Its too late to back out now anyway. I decided the day I agreed to train a scorpion.''_

_The woman sighed. 'You know they will.. They will kill you after the war, if you do this.'_

_''I do.''_  
At this age, Dirak had already been at his final height, if Aikka had to guess.  
Easily, he leaned over the table to extend a hand to Naris shoulder, patting it lightly, reassuring. There was some kind of syringe layed down between them.  
''Its going to be okay.''  
At that, he layed his arm onto the table. 

_At least he looked away when the needle broke his skin.  
_ The immunisation!   
Of course, this had to be it.   
The prince gathered his strengh to look for another memory, but he could not leave yet, as though he was not _allowed_ to. He could swear he felt how the General was keeping him in place there, like he was trying to make him regret. 'Is that what you wanted to see,', he taunted, forcing him to feel the way his heart burned at the poison in his system until he felt like it was going to rip in two, 'Do you think I wanted to feel it?!' 

At least, he was able to escape after all.   
What he needed was memories of Cieres, of that woman, that was his mission, he had to keep that in mind.

The future years were easier to navigate, if you could call it that. A lot of the images were still fresh, still clear.

_''Dear?''  
Hearing the General speak softly for once was enough to keep ones' attention._

_It was late into the night. That woman was there with him, they were still young, definately a time before the torture had taken place.  
They were laying in the sand, looking up to the millions of stars above. The ground was warm, though the air had cooled, as it usually did in the deserts. Did Cieres have a desert? It probably did.. But this had to be on Nourasia. He was not completely sure. It did feel like home, at least._

_''Yes?'' her voice answered, but he did not look over. Just simply layed like that, holding hands with their fingers intertwined._

_''You know about what they do to scorpion riders, right?''  
asking that had taken a lot of courage, weirdly._

_''I believe I have heard some tales.'' she sounded calm. Diraks' heartrate hitched._

_''They're.. they want to kill you when the war is over, right?''_

_''Right.'' There was no point in lying.  
''They will kill me because the poison in my blood could turn me insane. It happened to most of the riders before me.'' _

_''Do you think it will?''_

_''I.. I don't know. It does not feel like it yet, but when I use those spells to boost my power..'', he held on for a second.  
''Then.. Then I'm not sure. I wouldn't say I'm mad then, but.. Everythings so.. weird.''_

_She was quiet, perhaps thinking. He held her hand a little tighter._

_'Please, please dont leave me..'_

_''I dont think you'll turn insane.'' her thumb brushed over one of his fingers,  
''Is there no way to prove them otherwise?''_

_''No, there's.. It's been in the sacred pacts for hundreds of years.''_  
He kept looking at the stars, trying to find the right words to say.  
''What.. what I wanted to ask you..''  
he sighed,   
''Will you stay with me until that happens? I know it's a lot to ask.. I promised to be a good man for you as long as I can, I promised, but..'' 

_''You're.. scared, right?''_

_The prince felt something tearing him away from the memory, blurring it, fading in and out when the General looked over to her, badly enough to hide details. She must have been beautiful, at least its what the Generals feelings were chanting over and over, her skin was dotted with freckles here and there, he got a glimpse of curly, fiery red and golden hair, some jewelery-_

_''It's okay. I'll stay by your side. We'll find a way, I'm sure of that.''  
he smiled, a deep ache on his soul finally lifted as he leaned over to her-_

__The connection ripped off just when he had gotten close enough to kiss her, the last sensation of her hands still on his face.  
Aikka tried to resurface the memory somehow, yet the stream of consciousness had ceased, making it harder and harder to keep focused. The past, the present, it all seemed to have lost order..

_''You and I are gonna be roommates, right?'' an exited, happy voice called out suddenly.  
The oldest memory yet. But it was relatively clear, obviously there was a lot of meaning attached to it._

_''Seems like it.''  
Dirak sounded young, incredibly young. Most likely the first year of training in the academy._

_''Awesome!''_  
His gaze shifted to the boy in front of him.   
He had straight, fluffy-looking hair, brown, but a set of oddly familiar green eyes. He was smaller than the General, but not much so, at least at this point in time.  
''The names' Farid Hadhon Morriganis, but just call me Farid!'', he extended a hand, a wide and honest smile on his face. 

_Weird, the prince thought.  
He always assumed Morigganis had been blonde by nature._

_''Alright.'', he returned their handshake. It was obvious he did not quite get the way this boy was talking to him, maybe he just was not used to people being bubbly like that.  
''I'm Dirak Stroyrd. Just call me Dirak though.''_

_''Okay!'', the boy pulled him through a hallway. They both had big, heavy bags over their shoulders, filled with all that they needed while they lived in that facility._

_A big, yet simple wooden door, marked with their names, revealed their room._  
As expected, it was not much. There was quite a lot of space, two beds on either side in the main room, a tiny kitchen and an even smaller bathroom.   
Immediately, Farid threw his bag on one of the beds, rushing over to open a window.  
''Man, this is awesome! Look, I think I can see the sea from up here!'' 

_He oblieged, still a bit intrigued by this peculiar boy.  
But it was nice, in a way. He seemed friendly. Moreso than anyone he had the pleasure of meeting before, perhaps._

_''Ey, Dirak?'', Farid asked all of a sudden, as they were still leaning over the windowstill._

_''Hm?''_

_''We're going to live together now, so I'd say let's just be friends, right?''_

_What an odd question.._  
Having a friend sounded nice, though.  
''Okay.'' 

__Aikka let go of the memory. He didnt know how much time he still had to keep on searching, and this was not what he needed to see.  
He needed to concentrate, and keep his mind on the future.  
He had to look for important memories, meaningful as this one, but different..

_He was not quite sure if it had worked right off the bat.  
It did not feel like a good memory._

_If he had to guess, it could not have been long after the incident._  
His body ached, and heavily so. It was late at night, only a couple of soft, small lights illuminating the room he was in as he sat on the edge of the bed, hunched over, trying to catch his breath.  
The feeling in his leg was gone for the most part, numb, except for occasional bursts of pain, shooting from his heel up into his spine like a hot needle had been ran through him. 

_The pain on his hip was a little more consistent. The scar over it felt fresh, though it was not bleeding anymore, held together by stitches, covered by some kind of bandage.  
Maybe, wearing a shirt was not the best idea yet. He felt that the skin over his stomach had mostly healed, except for a few spots here and there, even though everything was still raw. It was a weird, unpleasant sensation, to feel nothing over such a big area, but at the same time, to feel everything a hundred times worse if his mangled nerves decided it so._

_Maybe the worst thing at the moment wasn't the injuries themselves, though._  
He felt like he had not slept in days.   
Aikka couldn't tell exactly how long it had been, but it must have been quite a while. 

_He wanted to die.  
With every heaving breath, with every time his stomach twisted in response to it all, every time he felt like he was going to throw up because of it, but there being nothing in him he could have possibly regurgitated, he wanted to die._

_The prince recognized the feeling which had haunted most of these memories, like a dark curtain, a heavy cloud in his mind at every waking moment._  
He wanted to give up.   
The General, out of all people, possibly one of the most feared men he knew, just wanted it all to end.  
And for a long time, it seemed. A plan emerged in his thought, one he had forged many years ago.   
He was planning to end his own life, before the kingdom could do so.  
Now, he wished that he had already done so. 

_''Dirak?''_  
A voice behind him tore him from his thoughts.   
She sounded tired, like she had just awoken. A small wave of guilt overcame the man, perhaps he really had woken her up..  
At least it was the right kind of memory. 

_''Yes, dear?'', he tried to sound as normal as he could. The least thing he wanted to do was concern her._

_''You're up?'', she asked, he heard the sounds of fabrics as she shifted, her movements perceptible over the matress.  
''It's pretty late..''_

_''I know, I'm sorry, no need to get up-''_  
He tensed up when he felt her hand between his shoulders.   
Her touch was so gentle, so genuine, and still he had jolted like a beaten dog.  
''I'm.. I'm so sorry, It's nothing, I'm-'' 

_''You're still in pain, right?'', he felt her approach a little further, her hand feeling over his back, tracing the bones down his spine._

_''I should'nt have woken you up, I'm so sorry..'', he kept mumbling, unable to turn and look at her. His whole frame was shivering, he tried to indulge in her touch, but something kept him from it._  
'I dont deserve her, I dont deserve her..'   
''You're.. you're still hurt too, you should really rest-'' 

_''It's okay.''_  
She huddled closer until she was leaning against him, her head resting against his shoulderblade. Her hand caressed over the ribs on his back, carefully trailing along the spaces between them.  
''What have they done to you... You've gotten so thin..'' 

_''I know.. I'm sorry, I just..''  
Her warmth against him felt so, so good.. _

_''It's not your fault. Injuries and surgeries have that effect sometimes. Especially if its that many.''_  
Her hand stopped, laying over his heart. He tried not to tremble as much.  
''It's bad tonight, isn't it?'', she asked, but sounded calm. ''Your heart's beating like you just ran a mile..'' 

_''I dont know.. I..''_  
He could not lie to her. Even if he wanted to, there was no strengh left in him to do so.  
''It.. it just.. hurts.''  
Saying it out loud had been harder than having to admit it in the first place. 

_''Hm-hm.''  
She put one arm around him at first, then the other, careful not to brush over the raw skin on his stomach. He felt her head rest on his shoulder._

_''Honey, you're-''_

_''I'm okay.'', she reassured, pressing a kiss to his neck, her hands on his chest.  
''Where does it hurt?''_

_He hesitated._  
''Uhm..'', he started, almost instinctively laying one hand over hers,   
''Honestly, at the moment, everything does.. I just feel so sore.. I can't move, I can't eat... I haven't slept in about 4 days, I..''  
He felt like he had already said too much.  
''I just can't anymore.'', he whispered.   
'I am so sorry..', the Generals' thoughts were screaming, louder, clearer than anything before. 

__It was wrong for him to be there.  
There was no way he could ever make up for what he was doing, Aikka thought.   
But there was no way out now. He's gotten too far already. This memory was the closest he's gotten to finding out more about that woman so far.

_''Four days is.. a long time.''_  
She sounded a bit more concerned now.  
''When did you last eat?'' 

_''Around that same time, I believe.. I dont know why, I just cant keep anything down.''_

_''Dirak?'', she asked, after a few seconds of heavy silence._

_He simply let his head rest against hers, a small, defeated huff escaping his throat._

_''Would you let someone check you up tomorrow morning?''_

_His jaw clenched. He had not been aware of it until now, but the thought alone was instilling a terror in him he had rarely felt before._  
Maybe he had been bound to the table for too long when he first got into the sickbay.   
He did not want to worry her, he felt bad that he had done so already, and he wanted to do as she was saying, but-  
He kept quiet, pressing her hand to himself a bit further. He was still shivering, he wanted to speak, tell her that she should not worry, tell her that it was all going to be okay, but not a word left his tounge. 

_''Love?'' she losened one hand to gently trail over his sternum,  
''They.. they hurt you, when you were in the sickbay, didn't they?''_

_He bit his tounge. She was right. He just didnt have the guts to admit it._

_''You were in chains for a very long time.. You must have been scared..''  
How could her voice sound so sincere?! How could she still hold him like that, even if he was this crippled, this worthless, this useless, broken shell of a soldier-_

_''I'll check in with someone tomorrow, I promise..'', he whispered, leaning into her warmth a little more._

_''Hey..'', she cuddled back as best as she could, ''It's okay. I'm with you now.''  
Another kiss, on his cheek this time. ''We promised we'd stay together as long as we can, remember?''_

_''I know.. but..'' he looked down. ''I.. I'm not..'', he sighed.  
''The wounds, they.. they're hideous. I'll look disgusting for the rest of my life. I won't be able to walk properly, and even if the kingdom doesn't kill me, I likely won't live all that long.. Are you sure you want that?''_

_She didnt answer. All she did was tighten her arms around him ever so slightly, nuzzing her head to the crook of his neck._

_''Please, I need to know.. I'll leave you be if you don't want it, I won't be mad, I just.. I want you to be happy.''_

_He was shut up by her hand on his face, she turned him to her, just forceful enough to press a proper kiss onto his lips. The feeling, the taste of her made him choke, he did not want her to leave.  
''If you want me to be happy..'', she spoke, her forehead resting against his, no one daring to open their eyes yet,   
''Then live.''  
Her words made the stutter in his heartbeat ease out momentarily.  
''Live, and stay by my side.''   
The cold in his limbs seemed to have subsided, at least a little.   
''No matter what happens to you, you'll always be _my soldier _.''_

_An old pet-name. Old enough to almost bring tears to the Generals' eyes._

_''Okay.'', he agreed, relieved beyond his words. ''Okay..''_

_For a moment, they just held each other._

_''I'd say we try sleeping for now, hm?'' her hand caressed his temple briefly, pulling him backwards until he layed on the matress once more.  
Against his barely serious complains, she helped him out of his shirt. It probably aggravated his skin more than it offered warmth, anyway._

__Just when the prince tried to get a better look at the womans' face, he felt the pictures slipping away from his eyes, blurring in and out before he could see or piece together anything. He was actively being fought, the General obviously didnt want him to see...  
 _The woman curled up to him, pressed closely to his chest, fingers caressing carefully over his throat, feeling as his pulse finally started to relax._

_His arms wrapped around her, as they had many, many times before. Maybe not as strongly as they used to, but they still belonged._

_''Thank you..'', he whispered, just before his vision blurred out into darkness._

_He could swear he saw her smile._

He was on the right track now, he was sure of that.  
He just had to keep going, despite how much effort it took to do so at this point-

_The early morning sun was shining through a window in the next memory.  
He did not know why just yet, but it had to be a rather important event that day, judging by the sheer amount of detail and emotion attached to it._

_It had to be sometime within the last 5 years._

_The General was standing near the counter in the small house he had in the main basecamp.  
Farid was there too, just having entered the house a few seconds ago, looking particulariy gleeful, for whatever reason._

_''Morning!'', the man greeted, but he was searching for something in his pockets._  
Before Dirak had the chance of greeting him back, a simple envelope was waved in his face, white with darker letters.  
''Look what came in the mail~'', Farid went on, handing him the letter before taking a seat on the old couch. 

_Again, a letter from the Generals' wife.  
And it had to be an important one._

_Immediately, joy emerged in him as he began to open the letter, a slight smile on his face already._

_The prince had anticipated that he would likely not remember much of what would be written, but he was proven very, very wrong.  
He remembered every single word._

_[My dear soldier,_

_I know it has been a while since I last wrote, but do not worry.  
I am safe here on Cieres, it seems the situation has calmed down a bit, at least for now._

_How have you been? I hope your wounds have not been causing you too much trouble. I know you were still hurting when you left.._

_The reason I'm writing you now is something quite unexpected, though, I thought about keeping it as a surprise for when we meet again, but I needed to let you know immediately._  
I've been feeling a bit.. odd, lately.   
Nothing too bad, but after a while I just could not ignore it anymore.   
I.. cannot really think of another way to tell you, other than just being straightforward:  
I'm pregnant. I know it sounds crazy, but I've been to the local medics this morning, and there is no doubt about it.  
It's still very early, but there definately is something, and they believe it to be twins, even! 

_I.. do not think we have really talked about this before, did we? I don't know what to think, to be honest.. After all that has happened lately, it just seems too good to be true. I know it is a bit early for both of us, but.. somehow, I think it will all work out. I'm happy, and I hope that you are too! I know it is probably the last thing you ever thought would happen to us, and you're probably as terrified as I am.. But I trust you. And I know you well enough to be sure you will make a great father, so don't worry!_  
I know it may not be possible for you to come home immediately, but please, come as soon as you can! I believe we have a lot to talk about, and I really want you by my side.   
Now is not the time for us to be missing each other, right? 

_I love you._

_-Iris ]_

_The last few paragraphs had almost not been visible through the tears swelling up in his eyes._

Iris.  
Her name had been Iris.

_He was happy. He was so, so happy._

_''Buddy?'' Farid asked when he noticed the tears streaming down his friends' face.  
''Is.. is everything okay, or..?''_

_''I'm.. I'm going to be a father..''_  
It started as a whisper, still in utter disbelief.  
But it didn't make it any less true. 

_''What?!'' Farid stood up, scurrying over to read over the paper briefly._

_''Farid, I'm going to be a father!'' he grabbed his shorter friend by the arms, shaking him, trying to compensate the emotions building up._

_''Sure sounds like it, buddy!'', Farid finally concluded, a bit perplexed, he must not have seen his friend that happy a lot in their lifetime.  
''Congratulations!''_

_''I.. I don't..'', he looked over the words again, but they had not changed._  
He almost didnt notice it, but there were still tears dropping down onto the paper.  
''I have to let everyone know before I leave.'', he moved to the door, but was held back for just another moment. 

_''You sure about that?'' Farid asked, a little more serious.  
''After all, you're not supposed to even be with her at all. What if someone lets the court know?''_

_''It's tradition, I have to! Come on.'' he made a pause to give more weight to his words.  
''I trust them. They deserve to know.''_

_With a sigh, he was let go.  
''Yell your heart out, buddy.''_

_With a nod, he stormed out of the house, running to the centre of the basecamp as fast as his crooked gait allowed it._

_The people who saw him seemed a little bit confused as they watched him catch his breath for a couple of seconds.  
A simple spell was activated, he had used it many times before. This way, anyone would hear._

_''I'm going to be a father!'', he shouted, as loudly as he could, the words echoing through the valleys and passages.  
A big smile found its way onto his face as he looked to the people around him, not particularily waiting for a reaction, but soon enough, they came forward, drowning him in a crowd of hugs and sincerest good wishes._

_It must have been the happiest he'd been, at least in a very long time. Maybe, it was even the happiest memory of his life._

'Leave this place now, your highness.'  
Aikka heard an angry voice growl, deep inside his mind.  
He had been found.  
'Leave. I'm not going to repeat myself anymore.'

He could swear someone was gripping at his neck, his throat starting to shut. He had not even been aware of his own body anymore. He noticed the feeling in his hand getting numb, as it normally was..

Images started appearing rapidly, past and future starting to get stirred more and more.  
'Leave, and I may let you live.'  
His airway closed further and further, the pressure on it increasing. 

He saw a burning city, just for a short moment.  
He saw battlefields, entire armies of Crogs, soldiers dying left and right.  
He saw the earths' shuttle, and the armada of their helicopters, yet it was long before they arrived on Nourasia.

'I'm serious, your highness. _Leave._ '  
The pressure on his spine was steadily increasing as the memories flashed in and out, but he could not fight it. Where did this man get this much power from?!  
'Leave. Or I'm going to snap your goddamn neck.'

The last thing he saw was complete darkness, as there had been when they begun.  
'You know I'm not joking.'

~~~

The princes eyes ripped open.

Eva moved to put her hand on his shoulder, but he could not react, like something was still keeping him in place.  
The utterly angry, menacing expression on the Generals' face did not help much.  
He was concious.

''You heard me.'', the older man growled, and just seconds after, a blue light illuminated the veins in his eyes and down his neck.

A shot of pain ran up Aikkas arm, and the connection ripped off when he finally jolted away from the man. 

''We have to go!'', the prince yelled over to Eva when the General started to free himself, a sudden burst of power being enough to tear the bounds they had put around his arms.  
In a matter of seconds, he ripped off the tape and restrains around his torso, Eva unlocked the door as fast as she could.

''Don't you run now, you bastards!'', the Generals' voice sounded utterly demonic, he tried to stop them, a rope they had put around his leg being their only godsend as the chair still attached yanked against his joint badly enough to make him stumble, falling over the piece of furniture awkwardly as the two others escaped outside.

They heard the Generals' angry curses when they left the building in a haste, but they were stopped upon reaching the front door.  
Farid.  
So he _had_ been suspecting something.

Without saying a word yet, the man stood in the doorway, arms crossed, his expression partly angered, but mostly neutral, one eyebrow raised in malcontent.  
''We can explain..'', the prince started, still gripping at his arm, obviously in pain.

''Save that for later.'' he began, standing aside to let them pass. ''I'll take care of him. Go.''

The two younger ones nodded, but there was not enough time to be properly grateful.  
They took off running into the darkness outside, the stars above the only light guiding their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The concept of Cieres and the character of Iris belong to Inokoo on tumblr!   
> Both have been used with her permission and consent! All mentions and scenes containing them have been beta-read by her!   
> Please check her out, super awesome person :)


	29. The Past: Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long-ish hiatus, a lot of important stuff had to get done. I'm not entirely through, but I still managed to get this thing writting finally.  
> I'm still in awe at how many hits this thing is generating. I'm honestly speechless and.. kinda proud, to be honest.  
> But yeah, enjoy some fluff and also some training action ^^
> 
> (Verry Speechial Thanks to my trusty Beta-reader Lin as always <3)

It was not long until they reached the outer edge of the basecamp.  
The Generals' cursed yells had long faded, swallowed by the darkness as they had run, yet it was like his eerie presence still clung to their heels. 

Eva had never seen the Prince run that fast.  
His chest was heaving with his breath, but he continued running, the darkness in his veins climbing steadily up his arm.

She worried.  
He said that the poison was only managable as long as the General would not activate it. The glow, and the way Aikka had jolted away in pain must have meant that he _had..._

''Aikka!'' she spoke up, trying to grab hold of the fabric of his collar until they almost came to a halt,  
''Wait!'' her hand found his shoulder as she looked into his eyes, even though he did not seem like he was starting to calm down, like a hunted animal, almost.  
''I think we're far away enough-''

''No, no, come on!'' he cut her off, his unwounded hand grabbing her wrist, pulling her along as they picked up their pace again.  
''Not far anymore, come on, come on!'', he explained, almost frantic.

 

Soon enough, the forrest cleared a little bit, a little more moonlight reaching the ground.  
Their chase ended at the bank of a small, gently flowing river, probably less than 20 meters wide, but a little on the deep side, the water just dark enough to hide its muddy ground.

The Prince got on his knees, fumbling the small knife he had used earlier form his belt.  
''Dont worry.'', he mumbled.  
Quickly, he made five or six small cuts by and around the wrist of his affected hand, his whole frame shaking, but he was focused on what he was doing.  
Eva knelt down next to him, watching in horror as dark, thin blood started flowing.  
He put his arm into the water, the coldness of it taking at least some of the pain away, though the poison still burned.  
He grind his teeth, eyes closed shut as he spoke a few ancient phrases, his free hand faintly showing the light of a spell as he went over the injured limb.

Carefully, Eva put one hand on his back between his shoulders.  
''Anything I can do?''

He shook his head, still way out of breath.  
''No. It's okay.''

'' _Okay_ is not the word I would have used..''  
She huddled a little closer, letting him lean onto her a bit further. The longer his blood continued spilling into the flow of the river, the weaker he seemed to get, maybe it was the spells that drained him further, as well.  
Her arms wrapped a little more around his neck.

For a while, no one said a word, until the prince shifted, finally taking his hand out of the water. The tremors from before had only gotten worse, not subsiding when a final spell lessened the bleeding. Exhausted, he just stared into the water, Eva being the only thing keeping him upright.

''So..'' she began, speaking just loudly enough for him to hear.  
''Did.. you find out something?''

He sighed.  
''Not as much as I would have liked.'' He held onto her a bit further, putting his arm around her waist for more support.  
''He.. I dont know how, but he.. he kept some memories hidden, I suppose. Or, details of them, it's.. a bit difficult to explain.''

''What _did_ you see?''

''It was hard to really look for something.. But her name was Iris. I'm sure of it. I dont know where she came from, and I only saw some snippets of her appearance, but.. her name was Iris.''

''Oh.'' Eva nodded, pulling away a smidge to take a look at the cuts on his wrist, ''Anything specific about her looks you remember?''

''She was a lot smaller than the General, obviously.'', Aikka chuckled, ''I think she had wavy, red hair. But a natural colour. Some freckles, I believe.. I couldnt see her eyes. Elegant clothes.. But I didnt see enough to be able to trace it down to a specific area here.''

''Thats.. not an awful lot.''

''No, its not.'' he watched as she gently wrapped a small piece of cloth around is wrist.  
''She had a nice voice though. And I think she might have been a soldier.''

''Well, thats something? We've got a name, a possible occupation, maybe that's going to get us somewhere.''

''It could.'', he sighed, looking down.  
''One thing I know for sure is that whoever she was, the General.. he loved her. More than anything. It's a shame that he lost her. Even moreso with the children..''

''Well..'', Eva sat a little more comfortable, ''He's not all violence and evil, it seems.''

''No. Not at all.'' For once, he hugged her back properly.  
''I saw a bunch of.. more unpleasant things that happened to him in the war, too. The torture, the battles.. Even the immunisation when he first got Ekko. It was.. hell, one could say. It all made him harsh, but.. he's less of a monster than everyone thinks.''

''And still he just deliberately poisoned the royal heir.'' Eva laughed. 

''Yeah.. I mean, not like he's got an awful lot left to lose, hm?''  
At last, he managed a weak smile.

''I guess so.''  
The night was rather quiet, but as time went by, the darkness and small, faint rattling in the woods started unnerving her more and more.  
''I think we should get back, you need rest. Can you walk?''

''Yes, it's alright. If you help me a little.''

~~~~

Much to their advantage, no one noticed when they got back to the basecamp.  
It was late into the night still, most people already retreating inside, leaving the young couple to prowl through the streets alone, nervously on the lookout for any potential onlookers.

Only when the door finally closed behind them, they could relax.  
They did not stay at 'Evas' place very often, but it was convenient to have as a backup, at least. An important alibi, as well. Of course they could not let it be known that they snuck off to each others chambers most of the time.

''How do you feel?'', she asked as she locked the door, not daring to speak up much yet.

The prince merely shook his head.  
''Not all that well..'', he sighed, already heading in the direction of the bed. 

Her place wasn't all that much smaller than the one they usually stayed at, but there was enough room for the necessities. Still, it was probably more than what an average soldier would have to make do with.  
''Alright.'', Eva said, following soon after, but not before making absolutely sure the door was locked a second time.

~~~

''Let's take care of your hand before we sleep, though.''  
Eva settled down on the edge of the bed next to the prince, a small first-aid-kit already on her lap.

''You're probably right.''  
Carefully, he peeled the torn piece of fabric from his palm, inspecting the damage himself before Eva could gently, yet firmly take hold of his hand to do so herself.  
The bleeding had stopped for the most part, it had only been a small cut anyway, but it still looked painful. Dark veins spread out from around the wound, marking black paths up his arm, where the posion had spread. 

''Does it hurt?'', she asked, attempting to clean off the residual blood that had dripped off, more concerned now that she saw the full extend of it.

''No. Sort of feels like its a little more numb than it was before, actually.''

''Oh..'' her fingers caressed over his for a second,  
''Thats.. not good.'' She cleaned a little more thoroughly, before taking a cottony pad out of the kit to place directly on the wound, pressing down ever so gently.  
''Are you sure you shouldn't get checked up though? I mean, you've been poisoned...''

''Its alright. Trust me.''  
He bowed down a little bit to look directly into her eyes. A meek smile found its way onto his face as he looked at her.  
Leaning forward, he placed a small kiss on her cheek before retreating.  
''I'ts going to be okay.''

''Okay.'', she shuffled a little bit closer, busy with wrapping a proper bandage around his hand, tying a secure knot when she was satisfied with her work.  
''But tell me if you start feeling worse.''

''Of course.''  
He watched as she placed the kit away, next to the bed, before turning back to him. Unexpectedly, her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him down onto the matress with her.

''Promise me we never do something like that again, okay?'', Eva asked, laying halfway on top of him, nuzzled against his chest.

''I'd love to..'' his free hand rubbed over her back. 

''I know..'', she grumbled, shifting so she was over him on the matress, faces just inches apart from each other.  
She wanted to say something, but for a few moments, silence hung above them. Eva knew what he had meant, and it made sense in their situation, and yet..

She closed the distance between them, finally allowing her lips to ghost his.  
Maybe words just had not been enough at the moment.  
Seemingly, Aikka understood the gesture immediately.  
The young man returned the kiss just as passionately, Eva noticed he was gradually getting better at these more intense kinds of affections. 

She did not know if the connection they shared was to blame, but she noticed he was not feeling all that well yet. It would take time for the poison to fade, maybe the princes' spells had not been quite enough to dim its effect entirely.

Swiftly, he switched their position, trying not to put his full weight onto Eva as they layed.  
He picked up where they had left off the night before, quickly ridding her of the shirt she was wearing, his own following soon after.

''Maybe today we'll get a little further, it seems?'' She asked in between kisses, taking a quick break to work on his throat.

''That could very well be..'', he hummed, shivering from her touch.

She took the hand he had rested on her hip, guiding it up her sides until it reached the fabric of her bra.  
'Prove it.', she reached out to him, just through their minds, the situation alone making it easier than she had anticipated.

Just when she felt him initiate on her request, something felt very, very off.

''Are you alright..?'', she asked, but he was already pulling away, looking a bit paler than before.

''Sorry.'', he brushed some stray strands of hair out of his face,  
''The poison seems to be a bit stronger than I thought..''

Before Eva could ask further, the prince had bolted off the bed and out of the room, the unmistakable sound of someone violently throwing up giving away what he was up to soon after.

''We're really not lucky with this kind of stuff, are we?'' she snickered, standing in the doorway of the kitchen where she had found the prince, still hunched over the sink.

''Doesn't seem like it..''

~~~~~~~~~~

 

A knock on the door announced a new day not long after dawn.  
The remainder of the night had been rather quiet, the two of them deciding rest was probably more.. appropriate, for now at least. Frustrating, of course, but logical.

Eva made her way into the hallway, still a bit sluggish at this time of day.

''Good morning!'' Farid greeted just as she opened the door, a bit more gleeful than what she would have expected. 

''Well, hi!'' she gestured him to come inside, quickly shutting the door behind him when he did.

''So.'', he began, arms crossed, but there was little in his expression that could have indicated a lot of anger, ''About last night.''

''I know, we messed up.. A lot in fact.''

''Yes you did. The good news is, I managed talking Dirak out of ripping your heads off just yet.''

''Well, thats good to hear.'', Aikka chimed in, leaned against the doorframe of the bedroom less than gracefully. Eva couldn't decide if he looked half dead or simply hungover, but certainly not as regal as he usually held himself.

''Morning, Sire.'', Farid bowed, something he had rarely done before, the slight chatter in his tone suggesting it was more of a tease than an actual act of respectfulness, though. 

''Oh shut up.'' the prince grunted, yet seemed to be at least somewhat delighted by it as well.  
''So what about the General?''

''Right.'', Farid stood comfortably once more, ''Obviously he's still a bit.. disgruntled, but I think it's going to be fine. He will keep it a secret, I know him well enough to be sure of that.''

''Thats good.. I dare say it wouldn't be smart to get close to him for a while though, right?'', Eva asked. Even the idea of doing so made her skin crawl at the moment..

''Weeeeelll....'', Farid avoided their line of sight, awkwardly shuffling towards the direction of the door, ''He.. actually send me here to retrieve the two of you for training..''

Right. The training.  
She knew she had forgotten something.  
''What?!'', Eva spoke, while the prince still looked at Farid in horror, ''You're kidding, right?''

''He seemed rather serious about it.'', Farid shrugged, ''Perhaps some kind of revenge for yesterday. We'll see. But come on now, he's probably already waiting.''

 

Oh, he had been waiting.  
His silhuette had been visible from far away on the training field when they arrived, simply standing near the weapons shack like a statue, glaring at them.

''I have to admit, I'd rather be _anywhere_ else right now..'', Aikka whispered toward Eva, not looking much better yet. The poison still gave him some trouble, at least he was well enough to not collapse just from walking...

''We can still run?'', she joked, laughing awkwardly.

The sting of the Generals' gaze burned upon them when they stood before him.  
At least, the collar of his sleeved top was high enough to conceal the cut on his neck.

''Morning.'' he stated, obvious distaste in his voice.  
Without waiting for a response, he threw a wooden training baton over to the prince.  
''You go first.'' he grabbed one for himself before heading over a few steps onto the open field.

Farid stayed with Eva near the sidelines for now, simply watching.  
''This is gonna be fun..'' 

 

The first crackling echo of the wooden sticks clashing rushed over the field like a gunshot.  
Aikka had barely been able to block it. He knew the General was quick, powerful on top of that..  
He had to be careful if he wanted to get through this without too many bruises.  
Another two strikes to be blocked, each one hard enough to shake him to the bone, before he had an opportunity to attack himself.  
In his condition, it was as feeble as he had expected it to be. Stroyrd didn't exploit it right away.

The prince was able to dodge most of his attacks, though he felt his energy drain more and more the longer the fight continued. He still felt nauseous, light-headed, his field of vision blurring every now and then.  
The General showed no intention of going any easier on him yet, though.  
''Concentrate.'', the tall man reminded with a more or less light strike, using his position to break the princes' balance just enough for him to stumble. 

 

It was probably not as long as they would usually train, but it sure felt like an eternity.  
''Getting tired already, _Your Highness?_ '', the General mocked, one of his strikes just barely missing the younger mans' face.

'' _Tired_ is not the word I would use, but I suppose so..'', he spoke, barely enough breath to spare to do so.

''Well,'', Dirak laughed, menacing as ever, ''Not my fault, is it?''  
The next strike came faster than expected, he blocked almost effortlessly, though there was a tiny bit of surprise on his face.

Aikka didn't know how much longer he'd hold out like this.  
Just before he could come up with any excuse to take a break, he felt the wooden baton clash against the side of his face, just hard enough to make him back off.  
He held one hand up, a sign for a brief stop in their combat, the other one feeling over the hurt area over his brow.  
''Man..'', he cursed, trying to shake off the ringing in his head.

''I suppose we're done here.'', Dirak decided.  
His gaze shifted to Eva, ''Your turn.''

Soon, she found herself in the middle of the training field, nervously grasping a baton. She knew she was not a complete fool in combat, knowing most basic moves by now, but given the context, it felt like she had entered a battle to the death.  
The way Stroyrd was glaring at her, void of emotion, yet vaguely vengeful, did not make it any better.

Without a warning, the 'training' started, the Generals' first strike clashing against her block harshly. She could feel there was an immense amount of force behind it, more than he normally used.  
Her heels dug into the ground as she was pushed back, she could have sworn their weapons would have shattered if he had been just a smidge harsher.  
Turning, she got a few steps of distance between them.  
Eva knew she could not overpower him, but if she kept a close watch, waiting for the perfect moment, maybe there was a chance for her to fight back..

Quickly, she jolted forward, dodging his next attack, aiming for his torso.  
From this angle, it had not been as hard a strike as she had intended, but it still got a satisfying 'umpf!' out of him. A small victory for now, at last.

''Just like that.'', he commented, shoving her away with his free hand. If her mind was not tricking her, there had even been the hint of a somewhat proud smirk on his face.  
In a way, it reminded her of her training with Rick, back in the race. Just with a higher possibility of getting violently beat to a pulp.

Their training grew far more fast-paced than the princes' had been, Eva was honestly impressed with herself as she evaded and struck out elegantly, getting more and more coordinated by the second. Fear was a good teacher, after all.  
For better or worse, the General didn't get any slower, nor less forceful with his attacks, the few times she had been hit still painfully pulsing through her limbs.

If she wanted to out-maneuver him, there was only one opportunity..  
She waited until he aimed a strike just high enough for her to dodge under, enough for her to get dangerously close.  
The General seemed to have anticipated that to some degree, but not enough to move as quickly as he should have.  
Eva knew his right side, his leg in particular, was his weakness.  
With all her weight, she could throw herself against him, she was too close to be fought off before she could break the tall mans' balance..  
She felt just a little bit bad to exploit her knowledge like that, but after all, this was how fights worked sometimes. Maybe it had not been the most pleasant idea to ram her shoulder against the most toughened, wiry man in the camp, his bones clashing against her painfully as she pushed against him. A weird kind of karma perhaps, she thought.

And he did stumble.  
With a triumphant grin, Eva moved on to strike with the baton just one more time, ramming him sideways just forceful enough to break his stance further.  
She made use of the moment, just when he was bowed down enough for her to reach, to get behind him, using her staff as an amplifier for an impressive-looking chokehold around his throat.  
Before she even realized it herself, she had pulled him down far enough, awkwardly knelt down on his good knee.

From the sidelines, she could hear amused chants of encouragement, those who were watching clearly had been entertained..  
Eva had to admit, this training really seemed to have taught her something or another.  
She knew fighting against a full-grown Crog with full intention of killing her would be something different, but she could not help but feel insanely powerful at this moment..

''Pretty good..'', the General spoke, a little roughed up by the staff still cutting off his airway slightly, pulling her out of her thoughts in the fraction of a second.  
''But don't forget I'm still bigger than you.''

''Wait, wha-''  
Before she could think about his words, he had pushed himself up just a bit, reaching behind to where she was, grabbing her by the collar on the back of her shirt, yanking her off the ground and onto his shoulder as if she weighed nothing at all.  
The General heaved himself up onto his feet, his grip still steady on her collar, and just when she wanted to fight back, Eva was torn forward and off him, forcefully enough to get flung through the air like a ragdoll.  
The next thing she felt was the hard ground connect with her back, all air being pushed out of her lungs at once. It must have looked absolutely ridiculous. Or horrifying. A little bit of both, maybe.  
The General let go, standing above her with his typical, terrifying smirk.  
''Ok..'', she coughed, simply staying put for now. ''I get it. Please.. never do that again though.'' 

''That depends on how fast you'll learn from it.'', he grabbed her arm, lifting her to her feet effortlessly.  
''But I suppose we're done for today. I've got some other duties to tend to later.''

'Oh thank god..'  
Eva dusted herself off, nodding gratefully.  
''Alright.''

 

''Man, what a fight!'', Farid commented as he approached with the prince. Aikka didn't seem half as exited about it.

''Are you alright?'', he asked when they were close enough together, still a bit out of breath from his own training. 

''It's fine. I've had much worse.'', she nudged at his arm, a slight smile on her face as affirmation.  
''So..'', she continued towards the General, ''Until tomorrow, I guess?''  
It seemed like they got out of this one relatively unscathed, she thought, a wave of relief starting to arise.

''If there is time for it, yes.'', the tall man stated simply, brushing some dust off of himself.

''Okay..'', Eva agreed, gesturing towards Aikka to get going.

And just when they thought they had made it out, they each felt a sturdy hand on their shoulder, stopping them right in their track.  
''And one more thing, you two..''  
The Generals voice went just a bit darker than it normally was, though he spoke relatively quiet, so only they would hear.  
Both of them froze like deers in a headlight.  
Oh, how they _weren't_ out of this one yet...  
''I believe you are smart enough to have realized what happened last night was not the best of ideas..'', he began, his grip on them not getting any looser,  
''But just to make it clear: '', he leaned in just a bit closer, his presence feeling more than demonic, perhaps his intention. By the gods, it worked.  
''If either one of you two ever attempts something like this with me, or any of my comrades, ever again, you should pray to all that is holy that you can run faster than I can. I have sworn by my life that I would protect my wife, my children, and I have failed. That is all I will say about it, and more than you deserve to know. You will not look into this _any further._ Understood?''  
He grabbed down onto their shoulders a little bit harder at the question.

''Yes..'', they muttered in unision, feeling as if he was about to snap their necks then and there.

''Good.''  
The General let go quickly, shoving them forward, along their way, as if nothing had happened.  
''See you two tomorrow, then.''

 

''Lets just agree..'', Aikka began, but not before they were one hundred percent sure the General was far out of reach,  
''That this was the stupidest thing we have ever done together.''

''Agreed..'' she couldn't help but lean against him, just a little bit, before they could finally start walking.  
''Man... How did he even manage to _get_ a wife without traumatising her in the first place..''

''I have no idea..''


	30. The Holy City: Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while (again), but I'm back! At least not /that/ long of a break this time. I'll try to get back on my old posting cycle (once or twice a month) asap!  
> A bit of a short-ish chapter, but I still hope it turned out decent ^^

As to be expected, the following days were far from laid-back.  
Soon, the basecamp was flooded with human soldiers, the huge cargo-shuttles positioned all around the site, almost circling it entirely.  
The war was far from over, though the Crogs' forces had been pushed back a considerable amount ever since the last attack. For now, that was. 

Early in the morning, a larger group of people had gathered.  
It had certainly not been an ideal place to handle political buisness, nor to house a large number of humans, so the choice to re-settle into a bigger city had been unavoidable from the start.  
Aikka had told her a lot about this city in the past, of its markets and palaces, its gigantic buildings, even lores of what lurked in the endless, pitch-black tunnels underneath..

They were headed to none other than the holy city of Dol.

 

From way up on G'Dars back, Eva could easily scan through the surrounding crowd as they walked.  
The sun was not even all the way up yet, the air crisp with a cold, stinging bite on her skin, still a bit tired from the early rise.  
At least Aikka was all the way back on track at this point. The posion had lingered in his bloodstream for days after the incident, but it seemed to have subsided far enough to be unnoticable after about a week or so.

He was sitting next to her, the layout of G'Dars saddle a perfect excuse to be nestled up against each other, his coat big enough to lay around her shoulders as well, at least a little bit of protection against the cold. If it had not been for the other people around, she would have definately just layed her head against his shoulder, catching up on some sleep as long as the sun allowed it.

For now, she just kept watching the crowd.  
Not far to their side, Farid was, comfortably sprawled over the back of a gigantic praying mantis. He had talked about his mounts a bunch of times before, but Eva had never actually seen it before.  
It was but a tad taller than a full-grown giraffe would be, its head just about high enough to look into her face at the moment, if it wanted to. The insects' scales were a saturated shade of green, darker on top, intricate patterns of lighter and darker hues decorating each scale. The silver and gold swirls and designs over those had to be artificial, but knowing Morriganis, it fit well. He himself seemed to be sleeping, or resting at least, his mount simply following the steady flow of people.  
Some mounts carried a bunch of soldiers at a time, nourasian and human alike, while some had simply been loaded with all kinds of baggage for the upcoming days.

Hodge, along with a couple of other higher-ups from earth seemed to have chosen to travel in a handful of trucks they must have brought along when they had first arrived. It was a striking image to see those within packs of bugs and footsoldiers, as if genres of different kinds of movies had been mixed together.  
She could not decide on whether or not she liked that image.

Toward the frontlines of their troop, Eva could see the Generals' scorpion, its scales shimmering slightly in the rising sun, black and iridescent like polished onyx.  
He himself had made himself comfortable on top of it, yet kept close watch over everything, glancing around every now and then.

''Where are we gonna stay, once we reach the city?'', she asked. 

''The palace, of course.'', the prince started, ''With the recent developments, it should be relatively safe to stay there again. It's the biggest building in the area also, so it's probably where all the political discussions will go down as well. And since you're the first human to officially set foot on this planet and a personal guest and ally of mine..'', he wrapped one arm around her, a sly smirk on his face as he pulled her just a bit closer, ''It would be an honor to have you housed there as well.''

''Well, I won't be passing that offer up!'', she laughed, a quick pinch to his side enough to make him retreat a little, ''No need to butter me up like that!''

 

Far in front of them, one of the Jeeps started driving closer to the Generals' scorpion.  
Hodge.  
Dirak had known well before the window had even started to roll down.  
''What do you want?'', he asked, barely shifting his gaze to look at the human. It was obvious that he tried not to let anything show in front of his soldiers, but his dismay was still audible.

''Whoh, why so tense?'', Hodge laughed, mocking in one way or another.  
''Just wanted to talk a little bit, is that forbidden?'' , he leaned a little bit more onto the arm he had leisurely placed on the door, now that the window was out of the way.

''It's not.'' the General stated, but didn't add anything right away until a few moments of awkward silence had passed.  
''It seems I have to inform you that if you intend to drive any closer to Ekko, you might end up with a hole in the roof. Or a dent, if you're lucky.''

''Geez, you guys name these things?!'', Hodge gestured towards the scorpion,  
''They're bugs! It's not like theyre intelligent enough to know their name?''

''Maybe not where you are from.'', Dirak answered, almost growling at the statement, but clearing his throat right afterwards.  
''Its a miracle that _you_ are intelligent enough to know your name, lieutenant.''

At first the man seemed to be stunned, yet broke out into laughter in a matter of seconds. Not that it had been a particularily genuine laugh, rough, loud and unpleasant like the rest of him. Anything else would not have fit anyway.  
''Gotta admit that was a good one, Stroyrd. Walked right into that one.''

''Looks like it.'' the General did not look any more amused than before.

 

''So.'', Hodge picked back up after a little while.  
''One more thing I gotta ask, though.''

''Then ask.''

''Whats happened with your leg? Is it a prostetic or something? Couldn’t really tell by the way you’re limping.''

The General did not react right away, shooting an angry glare at Hodge.  
''Accident. Happened just around 4 years ago. The knee joint is artificial, a few permanent screws and bolts too, but its not cut off.''

''Why isn’t it? Can’t imagine your limping would be any worse than it is now.''

''Even if I knew the answer, it would be none of your business, don’t you think?''  
The slight hiss in his tone would have probably warded off anyone else, but Hodge did not seem too bothered by it. He knew that the General was no danger, at least as long as there were other people around.

''Tch. I’m only wondering why they’re still letting you fight like that. You’re a general, right? Would’nt it be better if you stepped down and let someone else lead your crew into battle? I doubt seeing their leader fade like that over the years is much of a motivating thing for ‘em.''

Dirak cleared his throat.  
''I don’t know how things go on earth, but simply _stepping down_ would mean getting publically executed the next day, at least for me. That’s just how it is for a scorpion rider.''

''That can’t be legal.''

''Maybe not where you’re from.'', he let his gaze shift forward in the direction they were going again,  
''But it is necessary here. To be honest, I’d rather just die at once instead of watching my body slowly poison itself into insanity over the years until I finally snap and annihilate a whole village of innocent people.''

''Oh, so that’s how it is. The poison’s driving you mad? Is that why you’re such a grump all the time?'', Hodge laughed.

''No. That is because I do not like you.'', he threw an evil grin, hoping that _damn human_ would leave him be for once.

''Understandable. Though I doubt you actually like _anyone,_ do ya’? Except for Iris, back in the day, eh?''

''If I catch you speak her name out loud a second time, I’ll personally rip your tounge out; Does that answer your question?''

''Whoh, easy there. There’s people around.'', Hodge reminded,  
''But geez.. That woman must’ve been one hell of a hot thing for you to get all menacing like that. Don’t get me wrong, I like my wife back home, but I cant imagine getting aggressive like that about her. All I wish was she’d have a little more tits and a little less talk, eh?''

''The situation is a little _different_ with me, don’t you think?!'', his fist clutched more tightly around the reigns as he calmed his nerves as best he could.  
''And I’ll just ignore those last comments.. If you truly think like that, talking some decency into you is impossible.''  
He waited a few seconds before clearing his throat.  
''I think we are done here for today. If you are trying to scratch a raw nerve with me, feel free to do so when no one is around.''

Except for a small hint of a triumphant smirk, Hodge did not react.

''Now go, before I change my mind and punch your face in.''

Hodge only scoffed, but eventually did leave him be for once.

 

''I wonder what that was all about..'' Eva commented. They had been watching from afar, far too much distance to possibly make out any of the discussion itself, but they had taken note that Hodge and the General seemed to have spoken. 

''Same here. I hope they don't end up tearing each other to pieces eventually.. Whatever they talked about, I think it's safe to assume it was not a declaration of peace.'', the prince answered, speaking even more quietly than she had, just to make sure.

''It _definately_ wasn't.''  
She stretched a little bit, untangling herself from the robe Aikka had put over her shoulders, simply leaving it to him alone.  
''Anyway.. Tell me more about Dol. Anything I should keep in mind? It's a holy place after all.''

''Not that I would know.. Just don't disturb anyone who is praying or meditating, unless it's urgent.''

''Got it.'', she smiled, shifting her position on the saddle so she could look at him a bit more comfortably as they talked.  
''Man, I hope we have the time for you to show me around. You made a promise after all, remember?''

''Of course I remember.'', he winked,  
''And I'll make sure to keep some time _just_ to show you around. If we call it an 'effort to familiarize cultures, between embassadors' instead of a 'date' we would probably even have _more_ time.''

''Sounds fine with me, fellow _embassador_..'', she teased, unable to keep a grin hidden,  
''If we're really sneaky we can just call it a 'physical intensification of our planetary collaborations' instead of a 'hookup in a supply closet' and get away with it too.''

At first, Aikka looked a bit shocked, but broke out in laughter soon enough. There was an undeniable blush manifesting itself on his face, still.  
''Oh Molly, you're the greatest.'' 

She leaned back casually, shrugging her shoulders with a sly smile.  
''Born with it.''

They both finally laughed for a little while, calming down as soon as they sensed it was a bit suspicious in public.

''You know, thinking about it...'', the prince began,  
''There _are_ an awful lot of supply closets in the palace..''

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT QUESTION:  
> As you may notice, this fanfic is a tad heavy on the OC-content, for various reasons. Still, I notice that a /lot/ of people are reading, and even leaving kudos, so I'm just wondering.. Why?  
> Usually, fics like this would'nt get that much positive feedback, so.. legit question, what do you like about it? I'm just very curious, and I would like to keep this story a nice reading experience for those still on it (within the lines of the plotpoints I have in store, of course ;) )  
> Feel free to comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts!


	31. The Holy City: Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guess who's back on her uploading shedule~  
> There's been a LOT of kudos and such adding onto this thing lately and I'm so.. frickin humbled.. thank you all so much, I never thought I'd get such postitive feedback!  
> I'll keep on trying to make this story as awesome as it can be, promise! ;)

As the day continued, they passed through a whole bunch of nearby outposts and basecamps.  
With each camp, more and more people joined the journey, nourasians and humans alike. Earths forces seemed to have landed on multiple destinations in the area.

''At this speed, we should be there by sunset.'', the prince said, keeping an eye on the everchanging crowd around them.

''Thats good.. Can't say this is the most comfortable way I've travelled.'' Eva joked, patting on one of G'Dars wings for emphasis.   
''No offense, big guy.''

Suddenly, they were interrupted by an unfamiliar voice, coming from somewhere next to the giant beetle.  
''Excuse me?''  
A young-looking woman, probably around Evas' age. She was walking on foot, yet the lightness in her step suggested it was less than a burden. She was one of earths' people, the same khaki-pants and heavy boots, but a white shirt, for a change. She had a friendly, almost adorable spark in her eyes with the way she was looking at everything around her, almost as sparkly as the piercings decorating her brow and ears, only somewhat hidden by her glasses. Her hair was a very light blonde, almost white, minus on the side of her head where they were cut short, where the natural darker tones showed.  
''Can you tell me where I can find the General?''

''Sure!'', Eva answered, pointing towards the front of the squadron,  
''Right up front, black scorpion, can't miss it.''

''Thanks!'', just when the woman wanted to walk off, she hesitated for another second.  
''Wait.. Aren't you that Wei girl? The one who came here like, 8 months ago?'', her eyes lit up, a wide smile forming on her face.

''Yup, that's me.'' Somehow, Eva liked that girl already. 

''Oh my god! We've got to talk eventually, I've got so many questions! Oh, the names' Amy Kowalcyk, I'm here to take care of the sickbays and such. I've got a doctorate too, but it always feels wrong to just introduce myself as 'doctor', ya know?'', she laughed, almost stumbling as she walked on beside G'Dar.

''Yeah, probably! I bet we've got some time when we reach Dol, or you just come back to us when you've talked to the General.'', Eva answered, quickly gesturing towards the prince for a second.  
''That's Aikka by the way, he kinda owns the place.''

''Oh, you mean he's the prince?'', Amy waved,   
''Honoured to meet you, sire!'', she lowered her head a little bit to pay her respects, at least in the ways she knew how to.

''Greetings to you too, miss Kowalcyk.'', he could'nt help but smile as well.

''So.. Any specific reason you want to talk to the General?'', Eva asked.

''Well, yes! I'm here to do some research on Nourasia as well, and I was told it would be best to start working in one of the forces under his control. I've also heard that he's got something very interesting going on with his blood, I'd die to find out more about it!''  
As she talked, one could see the exitement rising with each word.  
''I've studied extraterrestrial life for so long, I never thought I'd actually get to go out here myself! I can't wait to start my studies!'' 

''Alright, then!'', Eva laughed, waving her goodbye.  
''See you soon, hopefully!''

''Okay! Thanks for the talk!''  
At that, Amy took off, headed for the frontlines.

''I like her.'', Eva stated, turning to face the prince again.   
''She's cute, isn't she?''

''Indeed. And very friendly, too.'', Aikka agreed.  
''Not as cute as you are, though.''

~~~~~~~

Farid had anticipated the journey to get boring.  
Maybe not quite _as_ boring as it was now, but it was nothing new.  
He was lucky to have a mantis as a mount, at least those were tall enough to watch over the crowd as they walked.   
Flying would still be about fifty times faster, but they had to stick together..

''Maybe I'll renew your markings when we get there, hm?'', he spoke to the mantis, but more to himself, as he trailed one of the washed-out lines on the insects scales.   
From when he had first started raising and training her, he remembered painting those lines. It was an old tradition, yet much _too_ old to hold any particular nostalgia, at least for him.  
Maybe, it was just a way to soothe your nerves in times of war.  
Runes of protection, guidance, an unspoken promise between a rider and his mount, a way to at least _believe_ that they would return from the battles to be free again.

Leisurely, he made himself more comfortable, laying sideways over the insects back, arms crossed behind the head he was simply letting hang upside-down, hoping a little change in perspective may soothe the boredom a little.  
Humans were a really strange bunch, he thought, watching them carefully as they passed, some on foot, all dressed in the same green-and-brown uniforms, some hitching a ride on one of the vehicles they had brought, some even already invited up onto some of the nourasian mounts by their riders. At least, they seemed somewhat appreciative.

Just when he gave up on anything particularily interesting happening, a larger truck passed just a little distance from him.   
It was huge, metallic, carrying what looked like enormous canons, rifles and whatnot in big boxes. Some soldiers were looking after the ropes and ties keeping everything in place, while others merely sat upon the edge of the loading area, caught up in conversations or tending to their weapons.  
One of them particularily caught Farids' eye.  
A man about his age, though much larger, bulky, the sleeves of his shirt barely containing the muscles of his arms as he pulled one of the ropes a little tighter. A bunch of dark tattoos wound themselves around his limbs, adding even more defenition. His hair was pulled back neatly into a bun, dyed in hearty tones of blue and black, a rare sight among nourasians, at least in the camps Farid worked for.  
He had to admit, he was quite a magnificent specimen, for a human..

Without thinking too much, he whistled over to the soldier, hoping for a reaction.  
Catcalling wasn't his thing, especially not in times like these, so this had to do..   
And seemingly, it worked.  
The man looked around, searching around for the source of the sound, a surprised expression on his face when Farid made himself known with a confident-ish wave.  
The humans' face was just as pleasant as the rest of him, Farid concluded, the eyes particularily enthralling with their deep, rich brown colour..

When he was sure he caught the humans attention so far, he felt more confident.   
''Hey,'', he simply yelled over more or less loudly, ''Your hair. I like it. It's colourful.'', he added with a wink.  
The human seemed stunned in a way, eyes wide, head tilting just a bit in confusion. But he didn't seem too startled.  
''Theres gonna be a little bonfire outside the city to celebrate our alliance later tonight. Wanna join me?'' Farid tried not to let the flirtyness overpower the tone of his voice, but be apparent just enough...

''Y-yeah, that sounds good!'', the human finally answered, nervously scratching the back of his head. If Farids mind wasn't playing tricks on him, he could even see a timid blush forming on the soldiers face..  
He took it as a good sign.

''Alright. See you tonight, then!'', he concluded, just in time before the vehicle the human was on had passed by him too much to keep up a conversation.

Maybe, those humans weren't all that bad after all.. 

~~~~~

The General was torn from his thoughts when he noticed the small woman approach from the side. Her steps were light, the heavy boots crashing down on the ground the only thing loud as she jogged over.

''General Stroyrd?'', Amy asked, wanting to get a bit closer, but a warnful hiss from the giant scorpion had her reconsider. It seemed she was more amazed than scared, though.

''Yes. How can I help you?'', he answered, still a bit tense from the conversation with Hodge a little while earlier, but he did what he could to act friendly. Even though she was human, he had to give her the benefit of the doubt. She did not look like she was looking for trouble, either way.

''The names' Amy Kowalcyk, I was send by the military to work in the medical division of our soldiers here, and for some research regarding nourasians. I was told I should speak to you about where I could enroll?'', she smiled, not at all bothered by either Ekko or his rider. 

''I see. So you're send here as a scientist, or..?''

''Well, I was _technically_ send here as a doctor for the sickbays, but I guess scientific research fits into my field as well! Depending on how many people I have to look after, I'll have more time for research, though I guess my team can also handle some of that on their own.. But I'm in charge of the data.''

''Mh-mh..'', he thought for a moment. Of course he did not like the idea of humans interfering, but this girl seemed to be nice. He noticed the spark in her eyes when she spoke, some kind of appreciation and amazement about the world she was setting step on. Perhaps, she could be trusted.   
''I think it would be best if you spoke with Nari for that matter. She's the most knowledgable healer I know, she's stationed in one of my camps. You can follow when we travel back in a couple of days.''

''That would be great!'' Amy beamed, trying to keep up the conversation properly, still awkwardly half-jogging next to Ekko, keeping an eye on the giant creature.   
''I've heard a lot about your legions, I'd be honoured to work there! Thanks in advance.''  
She dared to get a little bit closer. The scorpion didn't seem to mind it much.  
''While we're at it, I've got some questions concerning you specifically, I've heard that scorpions are a special kind of mount, so.. Would you be comfortable with telling me some stuff about it?'', she tilted her head a little bit. 

The General was still kind of vary of her, naturally, but her curiosity was true, apparently.   
Maybe, she just was the kind of person who was sweet enough to be granted almost anything if she asked nicely enough.   
He knew well enough that humans with pure intentions would be a rare sight, so he would be the last person to offset that.  
''Would that take long?'', he asked, noticing the pace she had to keep up.

''Well, that depends on how complicated it is! I tried to find out some stuff back home, but there's virtually no credible info about nourasia as a whole.. Much less about the wildlife and spells and such!'' 

He gestured her to come closer.  
''Don't worry, Ekkos not gonna attack from that angle. Not unless I tell him to, at least. You got something to write with or can you memorize?''

She immediately scurried nearer, fumbling in the big pockets of her coat.  
''I've got a tablet here somewhere, so-'',  
She was cut off by the Generals grip on her collar, a bit confused, but not scared. He lifted her off her feet effortlessly, setting her back down on one of Ekkos claws. She was small enough, so it was big enough to seat her without issue.  
''Oh, alright! Didn't expect to hitch a ride like that, haha!'' she looked a bit more closely at the creature carrying her,   
''You're a good one, aren't you?'', Amy laughed, taking a thin, transparent tablet out of her pocket.

''He's normally not really keen on strangers, but he'll allow shenanigans like that sometimes. Would've been rude to let you walk all the way. Nourasians are known to be a hospitable folk, after all. Don't wanna wreck those expectations.''  
Funny human.. He wasn't sure if this girls apparent lack of fear was a good thing or not, but it would make her work with Nari a whole lot easier.

''I see.. So, what do you know about the poison?'', Amy began, already typing stuff into the tablet.

''Uh.. To my knowledge, it mostly targets the nerves and organs. I'm not exactly sure, but I think one drop was enough to kill about 20 to 30 people if I recall it right.''

''Oh, that's interesting.. How long does it take to work?''

''On Crogs it takes about ten to twenty seconds to paralyze, about a minute or two until they're dead.. Don't know about how long it takes on Nourasians.''

''Okay... And your blood? I've heard you've been made immune, how did that work?''

''That took place when I was about 16. It started with injections of diluted poison, slowly upping the concentration until I could handle the pure poison. Had to put some spells on myself too, but that's a whole other story.. You should ask Nari about those things, I'm not too knowledgeable with the backgrounds of those spells, sadly.''

''That's alright. How long did it take until you were immune? Any side-effects?''   
Dirak watched as she wrote and wrote on that strange little machiene, almost unnaturally quickly. 

''It took about 4 months. I remember it made concentrating really hard in the beginning, everything was muffled, and I think I heard voices sometimes? I do remember throwing up a bunch though, so.. that was gross. I also passed out a few times, usually a couple of hours after an injection. But not each time.''  
He was already wondering what she would make of those informations.. Weirdly, he had never really thought about those things himself.

''I see.. Any long-term effects?'', she didn't even look up from the tablet anymore.

''Well.. A large percentage of those who have been made immune before my time went insane eventually. The poison in our blood grants us great power when we activate it, which is very beneficial in war, but it's insanely exhausting, difficult to hold up for longer periods of time and from what I know, the more often you use it, the worse you feel afterwards.. I haven't noticed anything in my head changing yet, but my heart always races like crazy, it takes about an hour or two to go back to normal. Kind of feels like something is constricting around my chest, if that makes sense. Can barely breathe sometimes.''

''Oh, thats.. Sorry about that.'' Amy typed in a few more words before stopping briefly.  
''But who knows, maybe I can find something that helps with that! You never know what you stumble upon in science, thats what makes it fun after all.''

''Thats a very noble thought, but I dont think that will be necessary.'', the General chuckled, but there was a certain darkness to it.

''Really? How come?''

''Once this war is over, I'll be executed anyway, no matter if I'm insane by then or not. It's a sacred law ever since the first scorpion riders began going mad. Simply a safety measurement. Don't mind it too much, I made my peace with it. I'd prefer a more... peaceful way to go, but I gotta admit, I'm looking forward to it, in a way.''

Amy tilted her head, brows beginning to furrow a bit.  
''That's.. dark. Any particular reason for that? If you wanna talk about it.''

''Just a lot of chronic pain and people who I failed to protect. Just being done with it for once will be a relief. I'll be fine, don't worry about it.'', he shrugged, his expression emotionless as always. The tone in his voice suggested not to ask further.

''Hm..'' Amy didn't seem satisfied, but left it at that.  
''So.. Anything else about nourasia I should know before I start working here? Anything to look out for?''

~~~~

The conversation went on for quite a while, until the young woman had gathered enough information to dissapear back into the crowds with a content smile on her face.

Eva had watched from time to time, a little nervous about Amy just talking to the General like that.. But it looked like he was generous enough to be cooperative with humans after all.   
''We'll stay at the palace for the most part from now on, right?'', she asked.

''I think so. It should be relatively safe.'' Aikka shrugged his shoulders.

''I hope so.. One airstrike was enough if you ask me.''

''Yes... I'm sorry for that. It's not the kind of planet I promised you.''

''Well, what can you do.. But now that we've got company, maybe you'll be able to show me what you had in mind eventually.'', she put on a hopeful smile, balling a fist to strike at his shoulder gently.   
''Chin up.''

''If you say so, _embassador_!'' he smirked, a little bit more hope in his gaze than before.  
''Actually.. I have an idea.''

''What is it?''

''What would you say if we got a headstart on everyone and just.. fly ahead? I.. kind of want you to show you my old home _without_ a thousand bystanders.''

''That sounds great!'', Eva agreed, sitting a bit straighter with exitement.

Aikka nodded, taking hold of G'Dars reigns once more.   
Seeing as Farid was the closest confidant around in the crowd, the prince whistled over to him, a few hand-gestures afterwards enough to give him an idea of what they were planning. That, and that they wouldnt want company. Farid didn't seem to mind it much, sending them off with a shrug.

They didn't waste any more time.  
Eva felt how the harsh wind brushed through her hair as they gained height, barely able to keep her eyes open. She wasn't scared of heights, she never had been, and she couldn't imagine anything would ever change that.  
In a way, it made her miss the old times, back when the Arrow was still intact. It was an entirely different feeling, there would be no wind tearing at her, no noise, just the empowering roar of engines and turbines.. But the _sensation_ was the same.  
She clung to the saddle of the giant insect, focused on the skies in front of them, unable to contain her growing smile.  
''Man, I've missed this!'', she yelled over to Aikka, almost inaudible at this speed.

''Thought so!'', he laughed, laying one arm around her waist, just to be sure.   
''Wanna see something _really_ cool?''

''Sure!''   
Memories from back in the race emerged. She didn't even have to guess what he had in mind..

''Alright, _earth princess_ , hang on tight.''  
Seemingly, he hadn't forgotten either.  
He layed a hand onto the insects' scales in front of the saddle, concentrating until bright blue lines decorated the creature, and they began to pick up speed.

Eva raised one arm to her face to at least shield her vision a little bit against the air clashing to her eyes. Flying again had been exiting already, but this was undoubtedly the cherry on top.  
She held on to the prince with her free hand, eventually daring to take a look at the ground passing by beneath them.   
Out of all the things that weren't, _this_ was just as she had always imagined it.  
Almost automatically, she began laughing.   
Triumphant, she raised her fist to the sky, cheering, yelling out her exitement at the top of her lungs.  
And just for a moment, there was no fear. No war, no pressure, no secrets..   
A moment simply for them to enjoy. 

 

On the horizon, still far, far off in the distance, the first buildings began to appear.  
Soon enough, they would reach the holy city, only to put up the facade once more.  
But at least for the moment, they did not have to.


	32. The Holy City: Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well this took longer to write than expected...  
> Already preeetty stoked to see how ya'll like it though ;)

As they got closer to the main city, more and more buildings started to appear, small ones at first, nestled between the sand of what Eva decided must have been the beginning of a big desert and big, reddish boulders and stones, then taller ones, colourful structures of wood, stone and even fabrics. Some even seemed to be cut right into the stones, decorated with all sorts of colours.

Of course, the war had not left them unscathed, either.   
At times, they passed entire districs of land that had been leveled by bombs and whatnot, skeletons of their old glory still hanging on by a thread. 

Sooner than later, they arrived just shy of the main city.  
It was enourmous, build right onto a mountain, most buildings halfway in the stone, accomodating the steep slope, roads winding in between like snakes, just as some small rivers and waterfalls did.   
Luckily, there weren't any people around, at least near where they had landed.

''Whoh..'' Eva couldn't help but stare. She had been here for quite some time, heard so many tales and stories, and still, it was.. different, from what she had expected.   
But in a good way.

''Did I promise too much?'', the prince asked, offering his help as they got off of G'Dar, though it was more of an act of chivalry, rather than being necessary at this point.

''It's beautiful!'', she beamed, taking a few steps forward already, only looking back to wait for him. The sun was blinding, but she could make out what must have been the main palace, way near the upper rim of the city, almost halfway up the mountain, its shiny stones reflecting the rays of light brilliantly like gems.  
''Come on, time to show me your kingdom!'', she teased, taking both his hand to drag him along, but finding herself to be the one being dragged in a matter of seconds.

As they ran through the abandoned streets, they did not let go of each other, simply stuck in the moment, twirling around each other, laughing, carefree like kids, for once.  
Most houses they passed were intact, though some were nearly completely destroyed, the rubble still laying untouched.  
''There used to be a really good tailor right down this street,'', Aikka explained, pointing towards the direction when they stood at a crossroad, there were even signs pointing in different directions, but they were too dirty and broken for her to read.  
''A lot of bars down there..'', he continued, but pulled her along further up the mountain streets.   
''I know a few shortcuts to the castle, there's the best view up there. There used to be a big market a little below it, I hope they managed to put that back together by now..''

''I hope so!'', Eva chimed in, always looking around at all the things there were to take in.

They crossed a small bridge leading over one of the rivers running by the street, there was a small-ish house on the other side, next to a peculiar-looking tree, its branches and leaves stretched out far enough to give shade as they stood under it, daring to take in the view downhill for a moment.   
The house was nearly completely demolished, only the base-structure still intact, a few wooden beams still sticking out like lampposts.  
Eva pulled the prince aside, near what was left of it, climbing on top of the stones and timber with him.   
''I wonder who lived here, before the war..'', she spoke, but more to herself. There seemed to be nearly no furniture, or any personal things in the rubble. Maybe, this place had been abandoned even before the war.

''I dont know.'' Aikka shrugged, watching her movements.   
It was small moments like this that made him appreciate what they had, even more than he always did.   
This was not the world he had promised her. The war had been awful, just _awful_. It had changed everything about his home, the people as well.. And still, she understood. Just seeing her eyes light up with the view of the desert in front of them, how it mixed with the grasslands and trees and jungles they had come from in the distance, her hand in his, knowing of what they shared when no one was looking..  
She was all he had ever wanted.

They made use of the moment, he layed his arms around her as they stood, placing a kiss on her head.  
''I don't know how long we will be alone for if we continue walking. There must be people up in the city already..'' 

''Then..'', she decided, huddling just a bit closer against his chest, ''Let's just stay here a little bit longer.''   
After a little bit of shared silence, she looked back up at him, brows furrowed just a tad.  
''So... If we want to make out a little bit, we should do it now, hm?'' 

''I believe so..'', he laughed.

''Good.. I've been meaning to smooch ya' for hours!'', she giggled, quickly wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him down just enough, wasting no time to press her lips againt his.

His hands travelled down her back, until they were low enough to lift her off her feet, humming contently.   
He carried her over to a piece of wall that was not yet crumbled by time, bricks stacked just high enough to set her down properly as they continued their kiss.  
''Oh man..'', he sighed when they parted for a second,   
''Each time we do this I feel like it's getting harder to let go.. More frustrating to not be able to do this whenever we want to.''

''True..'' She brushed some hair out of his face.   
''Maybe someday, things will be different.'', she continued, gently nudging her nose against his,  
''And until then, we'll just have to make do with what we have. They can't watch us 24/7 after all.''

He nodded, holding her just a bit closer.  
''And even if they catch us.. it would have been worth it.'', he smiled, leaning in to continue where they had left off.

For a while, they could simply enjoy each others company.  
From time to time, Eva would open her eyes just enough to keep watch of their surroundings.  
And that was when she noticed something odd, just a couple of feet next to them, underneath some rubble.  
There seemed to be something metal, old, dark and rusty, with strange, oddly familiar markings on it..

''Uhm..'', Eva pulled away just a bit,   
''The Crogs used bombs in some places, didn't they?''

''Yes, why-'', the prince followed her eyes, almost jumping when his gaze landed on what she had spotted.   
"Oh DAMN-"  
Immediatly he stood up, pulling her onto her feet too, protectively positioning himself in front of her. He glanced at the objekt once more, nervous, already stepping backwards.  
"We should go", he decided and turned around, still shielding her while they hurried back onto the street where they had come from.   
''Must've been one that didn't detonate.. Man, that was.. scary. _Way_ too close for comfort, I'm so sorry..''

''It's alright.. Good thing we noticed it. We should tell the others to look out for those things when we get there.''

''Good idea.''   
Quickly, they left the area. Maybe, they could spend some alone-time when they were somewhere safer..

~~~~

It took the better part of the day for them to reach the main city.  
Everything about this place was gigantic, the marketplace alone big enough to hold several thousands of people.   
At the moment, it was still relatively empty, though.   
It seemed only a few of the vendors had gotten back to it at this point in time, though there were already quite a bunch of visitors already. Both nourasian and human, to their surprise. Earths forces must have landed here a few days beforehand.

Not far from the markets, the palace awaited.  
It was by far the biggest building Eva had seen on this planet thus far, at least 15 or 20 stories high, halfway set into the stone of the mountain.  
From the outside alone, there were countless big windows and balconies visible, parts of the facade overgrown by ferns and roots, some even reaching into the building itself.   
Leading up to it were sets of wide, decorated stairs, marble if she had to guess, red and white in colour.

''This is where you grew up?!'', Eva laughed, still in awe at the sheer size of the structure in front of her.

''Not for long. Been out on the fields with Canaan for the most parts.'', he answered as he followed her up the stairs, relieved at the fact that the palace was mostly intact, except for some minor damages on the outside.

There was a handful of people around, all going their merry way, some looking busier than others.  
Right on top of the stairs, Eva saw an oddly familiar frame, just sitting there, as if he had already been waiting.  
Human, long, black hair and a equally dark coat, tatoos wherever skin was visible, sunglasses.  
At first, Eva stood still as if she had seen a ghost.  
Then, the smile on her face grew as she began running towards him.

When he saw her, Rick got up slowly, chuckling to himself at her cheerful demeanor.  
''Long time no see, little mouse.'', he greeted, almost falling over when she practically lunged at him with a hug.

''What are you doing here?!'', she began, not letting go for a few seconds longer,   
''And where have you been all those years?!''

He ruffled her hair when they parted, just as he had in the past.  
''Well, your old man thought it was a good idea to have someone check in to make sure you're alright.'', Rick began explaining, shrugging leisurely,   
''And as you said, it's been a while. You've sure grown up a lot, huh?''

''I see, dad is behind this.. Well anyway, I'm so glad to see you again!''  
She had not grown an awful lot since the events on Oban, so she was still tiny compared to him. The General must have been just around the same height, she thought. Maybe even _exactly_ the same, oddly enough.

Finally, the prince dared to speak upon catching up to them. He did not remember much about Rick, apart from having seen him in a crowd maybe once or twice.   
''So..'', he began, carefully eyeing the human,   
''You were Mollys.. Mentor, back in the race?''

''Pretty much. You must be that prince Don talked about.''

''Yes, that would be me. I hope my kingdom has been pleasant so far?''  
They exchanged a quick handshake, still a tad unsure with each other. 

''It's been nice. Refreshing to see something different every once in a while. I hope you guys can rebuild the stuff that was destroyed in the war though. Would be interesting to see how everything looked before that all went down.''

''Once the war is over, we will be right on it!'', the prince smiled.

Rick turned his attention back to Eva.  
''So.. How have you been?''

''I've been just fine, to be honest. A few airstrikes and other terrifying things aside. But it's been really nice otherwise.'', she spoke, still beaming with joy.

''That's good to hear. I'll just leave out the airstrikes if your old man asks.''

''That would be good. I hope he's not _too_ worried about me..''

''Worried enough to send me all the way here. But that was to be expected of him sooner or later.''

''True..''

'Can we.. trust him?', she heard Aikka ask, she did not know how or why it worked, but the spell seemed powerful enough to not require them touching anymore.

'What do you mean?', she asked back, trying to act normal while she kept _talking_ to Rick.

'About.. you know, _us_ , for example. Could we trust him if he knew?'

She hesitated for a moment.   
'I would trust him. But we'll keep quiet for now, right?'

'Yes. Just wanted to make sure..'

She scoffed, but with an amused demeanor behind it. 

 

Just as they continued talking, more people arrived at the marketplace by the foot of the palace.   
Seemingly, the troops from the basecamps had arrived, mounts, trucks and a whole lot of soldiers on foot flooding onto the open space.  
Up front, Stroyrd got off of his scorpion.

''Is that that General you guys have stayed with?'', Rick asked, taking a good look from where they were standing.

''Yup.'', Eva nodded.   
She noticed that the General had put on some armor, but different from the one he usually wore into battle.   
It looked a lot more festive in a way, black and gold plates with intricate patterns and all kinds of decorations, a lot more expensive. It must have been polished and well tend to, perhaps having never seen a single battle.  
''That's.. new.'', she pointed out, glancing over to the prince.

''Ah, I almost forgot about that.'', he chuckled,   
''Some soldiers have a different kind of armor that's _only_ to be worn in Dol. Since it's a holy city and all. The league of Generals all have those, though. It's been quite a while since I've seen one of those.''

''Interesting..''   
She watched as the tall man made his way up the stairs upon noticing them.  
''Looks a bit weird on him, though. Doesn't fit the grumpy-space-demon-aesthetic.''

Aikka couldn't help but laugh at the remark.  
''Guess you're right.''

''Any reason why he's walking weird?'', Rick asked, raising an eyebrow. On stairs, the Generals' weakness was a little more obvious than usual, in all honesty.  
''I mean, obvious with the war and all, but it's not a recent thing, right?''

''No, that happened like.. three years ago? Something along those lines.'', Aikka said,   
''But he'll tell you about it himself if you ask him nice enough.''

 

''I see you two have made it here in one piece.'', the General greeted upon reaching them on the steps, turning his attention to the stranger beside them right after.  
''Though I don't remember seeing you around yet.''

''I just got here this morning. The names' Rick.'', with a sly smile, he held his hand out for a proper greeting.

''He's an old friend of mine.'', Eva explained quickly,   
''Used to be my mentor in the Race.''

''Hm-hm..'' the General agreed to the handshake, scanning the strange man in front of him.

Weirdly, they did share a few similarities, Eva thought.  
They were almost exactly the same height, imposing, though Rick obviously had a lot more muscle to him, not emaciated like the Nourasian was. Even their hair was the same colour.   
She had to be careful not to snicker too loudly as the two men just stood there, staring at each other, trying to determine if the other was of any particular danger. 

'We should take a picture of this..', the prince told her, obviously holding back on laughter himself.

'It _would_ make for some exquisite planetary solidarity campaign material..'

''So.'', the General broke the silence after a few seconds.  
''You're from earth..''

''Sure am.''

''And you're the one who taught Eva how to fight, I suppose?'', he even pointed over to her for emphasis.

''Not really. I showed her how to pilot a racer, but not really how to _fight_ , necessarily.''

''I see. So I assume you've got some knowledge about the fighter-jets your people brought here?''

''One could say that, yes.'', Rick answered, a little bit of pride in his voice.  
''I can tell you pretty much everything about 'em. Personally haven't flown those with build-in weaponry and such often, but I know my fair share about those too.''

''That sounds good. Just wanna make sure that these things don't junk up our home more than what the Crogs drag in.''

''Sure. Is there a bar or something around where we can talk about it?'', Rick gestured around the little group,   
''This situations' calling for a drink or two, in my opinion.''

At that, the General began to chuckle.  
''Nowhere _you_ can get drunk at. Nourasian alcohol is different from what earth has.''

''I'm sure we can get a bottle of vodka for some shots somewhere. If I know one thing about the military, it's that _someone_ always has something to drink.''

''Vodka..'', the General repeated, nodding in agreement,   
''I remember that stuff. Sounds good to me.''  
Suddenly, he pointed towards Eva and Aikka,  
''And you two should try it too. Especially the prince. That's gonna be hilarious.''

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise it's a Rick!!!


	33. The Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess whos back
> 
> back again
> 
>  
> 
> is me bihhsh
> 
> THANK YA'LL FOR 1000 HITS THOUGHH!!!! IM SO FRICKIN HONORED HNFHNFGGDGHH-  
> (sorry for taking so long to post still, I'm currently moving aaaand getting used to looooooooong hours at work. I'll be getting better once I'm fully settled in here, please bear with me)

Unsurprisingly, it really did not take long for them to aquire something to drink. 

''Cheap stuff..'', Rick said as he turned the bottle, briefly reading over the inscriptions,  
''But it'll do. I'd say we just get back to those big stairs. The view is nice.''

''Sound good!'' Eva agreed. She could not really recall if she had tried something as hard as vodka on its own before. But there had to be a first time for everything, apparently.

Aikka seemed a bit cautious about the whole idea, but nodded. Maybe, it would even be fun.  
The General merely shrugged, beginning to lead the small group back to where they came from.

''It's getting late..'', the prince stated as they reached the palace, beginning to make their way up the stairs,  
''The sunsets are really beautiful during this time of the year though.''  
He looked over to Eva with a hint of a sly smile on his face,   
''Actually one of the things I had in mind that I wanted to show you when we parted ways after the race.''

''Oh, is that so?'', she giggled, nudging him with her elbow. 

 

Shortly after, they all made themselves comfortable on the steps, the setting sun painting the sky in all kinds of red and orange hues.   
''It really is beautiful.'', Eva said as she looked towards the horizon. Maybe she had not seen it this clearly just yet, but the 'sun' was not quite the same as it was on earth, the stars surrounding it much brighter, as if they themselves were smaller suns. There werent many clouds that day, the only ones visible far off in the distance, hovering around some snow-topped mountains.

''I wish I could have shown you sooner.''  
The prince had his hand on her shoulder; Eva felt that it took a lot of restraint from both of them not to lean against each other. 

Rick raised an eyebrow at the looks the two younger ones exchanged, but didn't think too much of it, opening the bottle at once.  
''So. Who goes first?''

The General began laughing, obviously some malicious intend in his voice.  
''I'd say let the prince try. I've got a feeling he's gonna like it.''

''You sure about that?'', Eva asked,   
''Wasn't there something about Nourasians being more sensitive to earth liqour?''

''Yeees, yes,'', Dirak appeased,   
''But it's not _too_ bad. If anything, it's gonna put some hair on the boys chest.''

''Alright.'' Rick grinned, perhaps already knowing full well what the General was implying, handing the bottle over to Aikka.

Nervously shuffling his gaze between the two older men, the prince took hold of the vessel.  
''I feel like this is a bad idea..''

''Because it is. Just go ahead, or we're gonna be here 'til morning.''

''Okay, okay.''  
He took a deep breath before finally taking a sample, luckily swallowing quickly enough to keep it down.  
He immediately placed the bottle on the ground next to him, starting to cough violently, visibly shuddering with the aftertaste.

Both Rick and the General were beaming with laughter, apparently already on the same page. Maybe, they just had similar kinds of humor. 

''What the hell..'', Aikka spoke, voice still roughed up,   
''That's just straight up acid...''

''Want me to try it?'', Eva suggested,  
''I'm curious. I don't think I've tried it before. At least not pure.''

''Be careful though, that stuff _burns_.''  
The prince almost seemed glad to hand the thing over to someone else. The other two we're still trying to contain themselves at the sight.

Eva didn't hestitate nearly as long, swallowing down what must have been about a shot worth right off the bat. It really was strong, and it did burn, but nothing that had a worse effect than making her cough a bunch.  
''Yep..'', she concluded, handing the rest back into the middle of the group,  
''It's disgusting.''

Aikka just looked at her in horror for a few seconds.  
'You're amazing, you know that?'

'Yup.', she winked, ignoring that they were talking in private for a second.

''Okay,'', Rick spoke up, giving the General a pat on the shoulder,  
''Let's show 'em how it's done, eh?''  
Rick went first, taking down a generous amount without issue, only clearing his throat from the burns almost inaudibly as he handed the bottle over to the General.

Now, Evas curiosity peaked. On one hand, nourasians should _all_ be more sensitive to it, but on the other hand...   
No one said a word as they watched Dirak, who did not seem to have nearly the same problems Aikka had. To their horror, he didn't even flinch.

''Brings back memories..'', he chuckled, handing the bottle back into the round, a sly grin on his face, especially aimed towards the prince. 

''Wh.. How?'', Aikka asked, almost dissapointed in his defeat.

''Well, I've been around. You get used to it after a while. As I said, puts some hair on your chest.'', he merely shrugged, gesturing leisurely.

''But you still have tastebuds, don't you?!''

''Tch. Of course I do.''

''How'd you get this stuff before though?'', Rick chimed in, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

''Found it on the interplanetary markets from time to time. My wife first introduced me to it, though she didn't like it herself.''

''Understandably..'', Aikka murmured, a bit of disgruntlement in his voice.

''Yeah..'', the General leaned back a bit, looking towards the horizon briefly, perhaps wallowed in thought, just for a short moment.  
''Understandably..'' 

''Your wife? You're allowed to have that in your position?'', Rick asked before taking another shot of the liquor, immediately setting off all the alarms in Evas mind. She tensed up, as did the prince, both not knowing what to anticipate.  
Surprisingly, Dirak only focused back towards the group, not an ounce of resentment visible.

''No, I wasn't..'', he answered, perhaps even with a tiny hint of a delighted chuckle,   
''But she died, unfortunately..''

''Oh, Sorry for that.''  
Rick handed the bottle back over to the General.  
Neither Eva nor the prince dared to speak up, simply listening in anticipation.

''Thanks.''   
He paused for a second, as if he was contemplating to say something, but ultimately declined, simply taking a sip of the vodka instead.

''What was she like, though?'', Rick began, not in an inappropriate way, simply interested.  
''Dare say you don't seem like the type to date within the ordinary.''

''Theh..'', Dirak chuckled,   
''Guess you're right. She was really.. something else.''  
Eva held her breath in anticipation, she noticed Aikka was starting to get more tense as well.

''Aha? Sounds interesting.. Mind telling me more? If you feel like it. Dead lovers tend to strike a few raw nerves.'', Rick continued his questions, completely unaware of what was going through the younger couples heads.

''I'm alright, I guess. It's been a couple years.. Still miss her like crazy, but yeah, it's been a while.''  
It was odd to hear him speak softly. There was no doubt he had been _really_ fond of her.  
''I met her when we were still rather young, around 16 or 17, something like that. Let me tell you, she was..'', a rare, honest smile found its way on his face as he spoke,   
'' _absolutely amazing.._ ''  
He pulled himself together before getting lost in thought, clearing his throat before he went on. Eva and Aikka listened closely, fearing that anything could destroy this opportunity to find out just a little bit more.  
''She was like a wildfire.. She was fierce, I respected her, like I respected no one else. And she was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life, on top of that.''

'Sound like what you saw in his memories?', Eva asked, having sneakily put her hand against Aikkas.

'It does.'

''I was proud to call her mine, even though we were technically not allowed to. But she was smart, much smarter than I am, I believe. We kept it hidden from the government, there was enough trouble to last already. They never found out about us, I doubt they ever will.''  
They shared another portion of the liquor before continuing. Rick kept quiet, seeming equally as interested in the story as the younger ones.  
''She kept me hopeful, you know. My fate isn't the most optimistic, but being with her reminded me that there were still beautiful things in life. I wish I could have saved her.. She would have deserved to live more than I do.''

''Thats a harsh thing to say.'', Rick spoke, a bit of concern in his tone.

''It is. I just think that maybe, just maybe, I could have done something.. I think what could be the worst part is that I didn't just lose _her_ that day. We were expecting children..''

''Oh.. I'm sorry, man.''

''It's alright.. What's lost is lost.'', Dirak sighed, looking up into the sky, where the first stars were beginning to rise as the daylight faded. For a moment, just a brief, fleeting moment, the look on his face softened enough to hide his menacingness. It was as if he was at peace with whatever was going through his head, truly at peace. Just for a moment, the pain seemed to have let go of him.  
''I will be joining them soon.'', his voice was almost a whisper. Eva couldn't recall having ever seen him like that in her time on this planet. Neither did the prince, in all the occasions where their paths had crossed beforehand.

It seemed like a lifetime until the silence on those steps in front of the palace was broken once more. Most people had already begun to seek shelter for the night, the only ambience a faint sound of wind brushing through the overgrowing ferns on the castles and buildings around them.  
''My wife always used to say that whatever would happen, we would be reunited amongst the stars. Nothing could keep us from loving each other, ever again.''

Eva held the princes hand just a little tighter.

As if he had known, the General lowered his gaze once more, until it fell right upon them.  
''A rather comforting thought, isn't it?''

''It is.'', Eva nodded, contemplating to let go, but she did not. Then again, it was unlikely Dirak would cause trouble if he found out about her and the prince. For some reason, both of them just _knew_. Maybe, they just felt that he was too tired of it all at this point in life. Maybe, he just didn't care. Perhaps he just did not like them enough anyway. They were not completely guiltless, admittedly..  
He raised a brow when he saw her hand wrapped tightly around Aikkas, but just as expected, there was no reaction, as though he had not even noticed.   
Eva took another sip from the liquor. She was relieved, more than she had expected. Of course it had not been a proper outing, but it was something. One less person to worry about when they were together. 

''So.'', the prince raised his voice after a while, just as the air started getting more and more cold,  
''How about I show you around the palace?''


	34. The Palace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Took a while to post again, as I'm still busy with work and moving to a big scary city.. But!! I'm back and actually had a lot of fun with this chapter. Enjoy~
> 
>  
> 
> (Also happy almost-birthday Liiiin, bescht beta-reader and awesomescht frienn~)

Just shy of the cities outer borders, the soldiers had set up some bonfires.   
As the daylight dimmed, the flames were the only things to ignite their surroundings, surprisingly well, against all odds.   
It was almost a bit weird how well they all worked together already. They shared what they could between their cultures, almost curious as to how the othr would react, sparking laughter and discussions all around.

Near where the biggest fire burned in the centre of it all, Farid waited.  
He had taken seat on a simple wooden bench, taking in the short moment of peace as best he could. 

''So.. You're the one from earlier, right?'' An unfamiliar voice asked, timidly, almost quiet enough to startle him at first. Only when he turned around he could see that the source was not all that unknown after all.  
So the human soldier with the fancy hair had really remembered him..

''Yes, I sure am.'', Farid smiled, gesturing the other to sit down beside him.  
''Didn't even keep me waiting all that long. Gotta say I'm a bit impressed.''

''Well..'', the man stifled a laugh,   
''Anything else would've been rude, wouldn't it?''

''Probably.''  
Farid took a moment to get a better look. He had to admit that the human was a handsome fellow. The deep, comforting colour of his eyes was enchanting in its own way, fitting in perfectly with his foreign features, though his seemingly timid ways were certainly not expected. He would have thought a big, muscular, tattooed human soldier would be.. harsher, but this one certainly wasn't.  
''So.. what's your name?''

''Oh, ehh, Johnathan. Johnathan Brown. Most call me John though, so you can too if you want.''

''Johnathan.. Thats an interesting name. Popular amongst the humans, wasn't it?''

''Yeah, very much so.. But eh, it is how it is. Who're you though? Don't think you mentioned it before.''

''Ah, could be. Sorry for that. Farid Morriganis, at your service.'', he smiled, only briefly disrupting his attention to gesture over to a passing servant to get some drinks.  
''Now that we know each other..'', he raised his glass, handing another over to John,  
''Cheers.''

With a more or less delighted smile, John agreed to their toast, cautiously trying a bit of the unknown liqour.  
''Well..'', he chuckled after letting it settle in for a couple of seconds,  
''Tasted pretty... girly, actually. Kinda expected something stronger, not to offend you guys or anything.''

'' _Girly?_ ''  
Farid tilted his head, not quite getting what John was trying to say.

''Uh, well, it's what we call drinks that are pretty like, sweet and stuff? Not all that strong. Or fruity, maybe. Not that I think it's _right_ to call 'em that or anything, it's just.. well yeah, I've heard it phrased like that, haha..'', he quickly explained himself, almost stumbling over his words. Farid wasn't quite sure why he was nervous like that, but he had to admit it was pretty damn cute..

''It's alright, I get it now. But don't worry, I think I can guarantee you that we're all massive alcoholics around here too.'', he said with a laugh, patting John on the back to at least try and make him a bit calmer.

''Thats good to hear, haha.. Speaking of it, you're a soldier too, right?''

''Not exactly..'', he smirked, sitting a bit taller, proud.  
''Actually happen to be the Tactical Advisor of our famed General Stroyrd himself! Don't have time for much of the fighting most of the time.''

''Whoh..'', Johns eyes widened.  
''That's.. impressive! I don't have to bow or something, have I?''

''No, please don't. Maybe if you actually meet my buddy, but he thinks it's bullshit, so.. just don't.'', Farid laughed.

''Alright... Man, seems I really pulled the short straw being a weapons' mechanic, huh?''

''Nah. It's an important job too. Shouldn't sell yourself short.'' 

''Yeah.. I guess.'', John shrugged, taking another sip from his glass.  
~~~~~

The palace was even bigger than she had anticipated.  
Each step she took echoed down the endless hallways, high ceilings and impressive pillars and stained-glass windows effortlessly telling of the former glory of this place.  
She imagined the colours that would be dancing through those windows once the daylight returned, and how it would be around here once the people returned, filling the echoes with laughter and chit-chat.

''This one leads to the main throneroom. We'll save that for last.'', the prince explained, pointing towards a huge, decorated set of doors at the very end.   
''I think I'll show you the main living quarters first, so you know where your rooms are. The Generals' quarters are relatively intact to my knowledge, I dont think I need to show ou the way, right?'', he asked towards Dirak as they walked. Surprisingly, the man didn't seem to be all that affected by the vodka they had shared earlier, though he should have been, by all means.

''I know the way.'', he nodded.

''Thats good. I think the other Generals should be arriving sooner or later as well, there's important matters to discuss after all.''

Nearly every corridor they passed was decorated as impressively as the main ones, white and gold and red on almost every surface, intricate sculptures of all kinds of insects and whatnot everywhere around them.   
Here and there, big vases with dried-up plants showed how this place had been abandoned for quite a while, ferns and ivy growing on some of the structures, and quite surprisingly, there seemed to be roots and stems from trees infiltrating the building in places as well, though it could have been that they had been incorporated from the very beginning.   
The further they walked, the darker it got, and colder as well. It must have been that they were making their way further into the mountain this palace was built into..

Once it was almost too dark to see, Eva was held back by the prince.  
''Watch this..'', he smirked, stepping up a little until he was in the very middle of the hallway, losening his shoulders in preparation for a second before whispering a few rushed words in acient tounge, a mild glow emmitting from his fingers before one by one, torches on the walls and the ceiling illuminated, quickly spreading down the hall, filling it with light. 

''Showoff..'', Eva giggled, nudging his side with her elbow as she walked past him.

Rick merely scoffed, though he was impressed. Until now, he had not seen all that much of Nourasian magic.  
''I wonder how that works, to be honest..'', he asked, looking at the fires as they walked,  
''Can't really just be _magic_ , right? Gotta be something explainable behind it.''

''I'm sure there is.'', Aikka shrugged,   
''But there are a lot of things that are not explainable, but still work, after all.''

''True.''

''Maybe we'll find out more now that our planets are working more closely together.'', Eva thought out loud.  
''There's already some who are sent here just for that purpose I think. Wasn't there that one girl earlier..?''

''Right, I remember.. In all honesty, I'm also curious as to what she will find. I mean, we have our own sciences here, but hearing your perspective sure does sound interesting, doesn't it?''

''Yeah.. Oh man, I still can't believe all this is really happening.'', she smiled, the spring in her step increasing ever so slightly. 

 

''So..'', Rick began after a few moments of silence after reaching the main living quarters. There were doors left and right, big, decorated and elegant like the rest of the palace. A bit dusty obviously, but the ancient, lively athmosphere had remained.  
''You two.. You're dating, right?''

Neither of them had expected the question this early. They froze where they stood, a little bit of initial awkwardsness surrounding the small group all of a sudden as if it had fallen over them like a blanket of snow.  
They exchanged one last nervous look before nodding guiltily. 

''Ah, I see.'', Rick smirked,   
''I mean, you _were_ holding hands earlier. Don't worry though, I'm not gonna say anything. I knew since Oban that there was something bound to happen once you two're left alone.''

''W-wait, since Oban?'', Evas brow furrowed,   
''We weren't _that_ obvious back then, no way.''

''You can tell yourself that all you want, little mouse, but you kind of were to be frank. I don't think your old man is gonna be too happy about that, so we're just gonna keep quiet about it.''

''Right.. I think dad would wanna kill anyone I date either way, but I think Aikka would be double-killed.''

''Double- _what?_ Why??'', the prince chimed in, almost frigthened.

''Cause I'm his daughter.. He's just protective of me, don't worry, you'll be fine. I'm sure he won't be appearing here anytime soon.''

''Yeah... alright.'', he cleared his throat.  
''And Stroyrd?'', he asked towards the man who had been standing in silence for the time being,   
''You won't rat us out either, will you..?''

The General simply shrugged.  
''Like I care. Would be nothing for me to gain from it. As long as you two don't cause a global scandal or some other complicated stuff like that I don't care what ya'll do with each other.''

''That's good.. Thanks.'', the prince sighed, turning back towards Eva.  
''Guess we can stop not holding hands for a little while, hm?''

''Finally!'', she giggled, practically jumping against him, arms wrapped around his neck as they twirled, any residual anxiety of the situation resolved. 

''Don't forget to be careful around.. uh, _everybody else_ though, alright?'', Rick reminded, but it was obvious that he was happy for them.

''We'll be careful. Promise.'', Eva winked.

Soon enough, their journey continued down the hallway, there was a big, luxurious room that was immediately reserved for Rick. It had almost everything imaginable, even a huge balcony towards the outside of the mountain, granting an impressive view over the plains around them.  
Afterwards, they made a quick excursion into the upper levels of the palace. The stairs were rather dusty, losened bricks and pebbles on every step, hiding some of the pearly-grey marble. And there were a lot of them, much to the dismay of the General, leading way up to the very top of the massive building.

''You alright?'', Rick asked when he took note of the mans' limp getting worse, but not in a condescending way.

''It's fine.''

 

Up on the very roof of the palace, they found themselves in something only describable as a garden.   
There were even small sheds here and there, a bunch of benches, overgrown by nature. It was obvious the plantlife had not been tended to in a long time, growing as abundandly as it pleased, all over the walkways and structures. Maybe, this was where all the roots and ferns withing the castle itself had come from.. 

''This is... beautiful!'', Eva spoke, taking it all in, entranced by the beauty of this place.

''I'm glad you like it.. I always imagined you would.''   
The prince took her by the hand, leading her through the pathways, as the two others followed in silence. Though he was just as in awe as Eva was, Rick held on to his silent stoicism, while the General probably had been here often enough to not be phased by it anymore.  
''We grow a lot of food here in the summer. It gets a lot of sunlight during the day, it's the top of the mountain after all.'', Aikka explained, pushing some of the twigs and branches from an overgrowing shrub out of the way for her.

Soon, they reached the gardens' edge.   
Thick ranks of ivy and roots ran over the stone palisade, like water spilling out of a sink, running down the sides of the palace.  
From here, millions of stars were visible above them, even more so than at the foot of the mountain, where they were blurred out by the lights of the city.  
They were shiny, plentiful like grains of sand on a beach, dancing like tiny fires, thousands of miles away..  
''You see this one, right there?'', Aikka got a bit closer to her, pointing up to one particularily bright, flickering dot above,  
''This is your peoples' sun.''

''It is?''  
She followed his gaze, making sure she was looking at the right one.  
''That's.. so crazy, thinking about it..''

''True..''  
For a while, they just stood there, one arm around the other, basking in the presence of each other against the cold air around them during this time of day.  
''I still can't believe I get to have you with me right now.. There were times I thought I would never get to see you again.''

''Yes..'', Eva let her head rest against his shoulder as they stood,  
''To be honest, I thought you may have forgotten after a few years.. But I'm glad you didn't.''

''I could never forget about you.''  
He hugged her a little bit tighter,  
''Not in a thousand years. Not _ever_.''  
There was that certain type of tone in his voice.. The kind that only really got through when she was certain that what he was saying had been on his mind for a long time. Those certain kinds of things that weighed heavily on someone, perhaps never being allowed to be spoken out loud, or at least not most of the time.  
''Actually.. Have I told you about _kindred souls _yet? Or soul bonds? Something along those lines?''__

__''I don't think so?'', she looked up into his eyes, head tilted with interest.  
''What's it about?''_ _

___''There's a saying that sometimes, when two of our people meet, their souls.. They _recognise_ each other. Souls that have shared a thousand of lifetimes, side by side, never far apart.''  
They sat down on one of the nearby benches, Rick and the General chatting a few metres away next to a few bushes with colourful, marbles berries of some sort.  
''Sometimes it can be best friends that share this bond, or someone in your family.. But more often than not, you share this bond with your partner. Those who are bonded rarely part ways for long, and if separated, there's an emptyness within you that simply cannot be tuned out.. It rarely gets that extreme, but I'm suspecting that's what's going on with the General. The reason why he cannot recover.''_

__''I see..'', Eva had listened closely, not quite sure what to make of it yet.  
''So it's really a thing, right..? It's not purely spiritual?''_ _

___''I'm not one hundred percent sure.. But I believe it's very real.''  
He sighed,   
''Been actually meaning to ask someone how to be sure of it.. But either way, I.. I would consider us to be like that. Though I understand it may be a bit different for you.''_

___''Well, only one way to find out I guess?'', Eva laughed, waving over to the General,_  
''Ey, Stroyrd!''  
She waited for a reaction before continuing, Aikka looking like a scared deer in the headlights for a second, flabbergasted at her sudden boldness.  
''Uh, M-molly, what are you-..?'' 

__''You were bonded to your wife, right?'', she asked, not minding the princes' nervousness._ _

__''Not sure why you wanna know that, but.. yes.'', he raised a brow, but remained polite about it._ _

__''How did you know you were?''_ _

___''Tch. Interesting question.'', he crossed his arms with an amused huff, even the slightest hint of a smile on his otherwise still harsh face,_  
''I think the easiest way to describe it is the situation around it, in my opinion. You see, there was one time, shortly before we got together, when we started to visit each other more often. And one time, when I was saying goodbye to her, she.. pulled me down to her level, and gave me one simple, little kiss on the cheek as a farewell.''  
Though it was hard to imagine this man in a situation like that, Eva had to admit the thought was rather sweet.  
''I knew, then. Felt like she might as well have torn my heart right out and slapped me in the face with it.'', he chuckled,  
''So yeah. That's how I knew.'' 

__''Well.. If it's like that...'', the prince began, pulling Eva a little closer than they already were, almost relieved,  
''Then I'm sure, now.''_ _

__''I'm glad!'', she giggled, giving him a quick peck on the cheek,  
''If I had to guess... I'd say it must have been during our race on Alwas, right? I don't think humans can relate fully, but I think the feeling back then came rather close to it?''_ _

__''Actually, yes!'', he laughed, taking her face between his hands, pressing a kiss right on her forehead.  
''See, I knew it was mutual!''_ _

__The General rolled his eyes, turning back towards the conversation he had with Rick.  
''Teenagers, huh?''_ _

__

__They ended up staying on the rooftop for a long time that night.  
It was a few hours past midnight that they decided to get back to their rooms, making their way back into the pitch-darkness of the castles hallways during that time. _ _

__''So.. I suppose we'll be sharing a bedroom for tonight? There's practically no one around yet.'', Eva asked as they walked towards the quarters where Ricks' room was located._ _

__''I think we can take the chance.'', Aikka winked,  
''My families' rooms are a lot more suitable for you either way, princess~''_ _

__''Hopefully suitable enough to have a spare couch! Don't get _too_ gooey with each other, Jesus Christ..'', Rick teased, opening the door to his chambers._ _

__''We can be as gooey as we wanna be, as long as no one finds out!'', Eva laughed._ _

__The General mimed a choking sound, mocking the thought, just audible enough to be heard. It was quite unexpected for him to show humor like that, but it was refreshing, even if it was at their expense._ _

__''Hey, don't be mean!'', Eva tried to scold, but had to tone down her own amusement by force._ _

__''I'm being honest, not mean.'', he chuckled.  
Maybe, given enough time, Eva believed the General would truly forgive them for their mishaps. At the moment at least, she wasn't scared of him anymore._ _


	35. The Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So..... I moved. Sorry for the short-ish hiatus. Had a lot of work to do and my life has been kind of crazy for the last month, but now I'm all settled in and starting to relax and ease my mind again. This chapter has been really fun to write, it feels good to be back. I hope ya'll like it ~

As peaceful as the night had been, it ended apruptly as soon as the first light of morning pushed through the windows, painting the whole room in millions of glistening colours from the colourful glass.  
The room was practically a hall in itself, everything inside huge and elegant, decorated with gold and silver and whatnot.  
The young couple had been sleeping deeper than anticipated, curled up against each other on the massive bed, but as the banging on the door grew louder, they awakened within seconds.

''Ey!'', Farids familiar voice proclaimed from outside,  
''You two should hurry up and get to the main hall. There's important buisness to discuss!''

Quickly, the prince got up to open the door, confirming that it was really only Farid there.  
''Good morning to you too..''

''...Yes. Man, you two should be a hell lot more careful. Are you _trying_ to get caught?!''

''No, we weren't, it's just..''

''Eh, doesn't matter, just get to the main hall ASAP, alright? I'll be on my way, I'll meet you there.''

The prince merely nodded, watching as the other man dissapeared back down the hallway. He seemed a little more nervous than usual..

 

As intsructed, they hurried.  
The main hall was located right in the centre of the palace, illuminated by thousands of fires and candles, chandaliers and bioluminescent plants.  
The celing alone was about two to three stories up, and it looked like the whole place was supported by massive roots and treetrunks..  
It was almost unreal, Eva thought. Like a fairytale, or an abstract sci-fi-movie, though she had to admit that that comparison probably wasnt _that_ far off..  
There was a big, long table right in the centre, leading up to two thrones. At least it was obvious what purpose that served..  
To her surprise, there were already a lot of people gathered there, most of them she didn't know, but she saw Farid in a corner, just leaning against a wall, watching.  
There were quite a lot of humans as well, chatting with each other and a bunch of the nourasians, though the athmosphere was a lot more tense than it had been in the camps.

Suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder.  
''Haven't seen each other in a while, haven't we?''  
Hodge asked, standing a lot closer to her than she would have been comfortable with.

''Yeah, we haven't.'', Eva stated calmly.  
''I hope Nourasia has been.. welcoming, so far.''

''Eh, it's no different from the warzones on earth. A bit too primitive if you ask me, but we'll manage.''

''Primitive?'', Aikka asked, raising an eyebrow at the implication.

''Well, yeah!'', Hodge laughed,  
''I mean, everywhere you go theres only plants and trees and bugs or somethin', no big roads, no electricity... At least theres running water, but you guys really need some improvement on that other stuff.''

''I don't think we do..? We've been just fine with our magic and all that.''

''Theh, I'm sure you are..'' Hodge chuckled, not looking like he was even trying to understand.  
Eva merely sighed in malcontent.

Luckily, their brief encounter was brought to an end soon enough.  
Silence fell over the room when the big gates opened fully, the people moved aside, creating a clear path towards the table.  
Eva swallowed hard when she saw who had just arrived.

Walking in were none other than the king and queen themselves.

The robes they were wearing looked like they were made from the finest silk, flowing like water as they dragged over the marbled floor.  
With each movement, lots of small gold jeweleries, trinkets and bells clinced against each other, announcing their presence like a silent windchime.  
As they passed, the people left and right knelt, lowering their heads in respect, so Eva had done so as well, anxiety rising within her.  
So those were Aikkas parents..  
She had to admit, behind all the luxury and glamour, they showed some resemblance, especially the king seemed to have passed down a lot of his features.

The first ones to rise were the Generals.  
All seven of them followed right behind the royal couple, all of them dressed in the same kind of expensive, decorated suits of armor Eva had seen on Stroyrd the day before.  
He was among them as well, though he looked a lot more groomed than he usually did, his hair brushed and more shiny, a bunch of thin braids within it, some even with small strings of gold or silver braided into them. If she could see it right, the dark rings below his eyes had been concealed as well, at least a little bit.  
He was the tallest of the Generals, and the youngest, the others all at least five or ten years older, roughly estimated.  
The others consisted of three women and three men, most of them with cold, strict looks on their faces. Right of the bat, Eva had a feeling that working with them was not going to be an easy feat..

'What do you know about them?', she reached out to the prince, glancing over to him for just a split second as they rose to follow along, sitting down on large, but rather uncomfortable seats at the table.

'The women are Generals Chaveron, Abdras and Anshe.', he began, perhaps using the mental bond to walk her through it as well, as she had no issue to follow along with who he was talking about.  
Chaveron was a rather small, yet stocky woman around what must have been 50 years old, her hair was rather dark, yet already beginning to grey, though it was long enough to lay around her shoulders in a huge, neat braid.  
Abdras and Anshe looked like they had to be related somehow, maybe cousins of some sort, both sharing the same patterns on their armor and the same kinds of tattoes where their skin was visible. Their eyes were not as piercing at least, dark brown and comforting somehow. They were both rather slender figures, but Eva knew better than to underestimate them.  
'Chaveron leads the troops from the frozen deserts of the south. Shes known for her fierceness in battle, she's the strictest of the Generals, I'd be careful around her. Her camps in the south are guarded by their mounts, big christal hounds and thunderbirds to my knowledge. I have to show you those one day.  
Abdras and Anshe are in charge of the troops from our rainforrests. The largest of our troops, so they decided to command them together. They mount the big hummingbirds you saw a few months ago, among other things. They're... a bit odd, but not as intense as Chaveron is. They're mostly involved in the aerial battles.'

'I see..' Eva looked at them, though trying not to stare. 

'The others are Generals Yaoto, Majalis, and Khai. And Stroyrd, of course.  
Majalis is the eldest of the Generals, he leads the desert tribes, so he's closest to Dol at all times as well. Had to work with him quite a lot in my life, he's a good friend of my father as well, so he kind of has an advantage compared to the others.. I think that may have gotten to his head over time. We've got to stay vary of him. He will do anything to win this war, his reign is a bit.. brutal sometimes. He was the one to suggest the idea of Stroyrd becoming a scorpion rider as well. Felt kind of like a death-sentence back then, but it was long ago, so I don't remember it exactly..'

'I mean.. it kind of was, wasn't it?'  
Majalis looked strong, despite the slight greying of his hair and beard. His armor was dark, it looked simple compared to the others, but just a bit more polished. There was that proud kind of spark in his gaze, but Eva was unable to tell what intentions he may have in the alliance with earth. For now, she just hoped they were good ones.

'Yes, in a way.. Anyway. Yaoto comes from the western shores, the tribes of the coastline and islands. Their mounts are mostly ocean-dwelling species like rays and sharks and whatnot, though they command some species of birds as well. He collaborates with Abdras and Anshe from time to time.  
Khai is in charge of Dols' guards. He works closely with all of the Generals and is an important advisor the king, and he technically runs Dols' elite military academy, where all the best soldiers and guards are trained. He took Canaans' place once he retired to train me.'

'He did?', Eva asked, listening closely. It was harder to keep the connection up for long when they weren't physically touching, but as the noise was beginning to settle down in the room, it would be good enough.  
Khai sat next to Yaoto, right across from Eva. Surprisingly, Khai did not look all too intimidating, he was rather small for a man, neither bulky nor thin, not even particularily athletic-looking. His hair was long and lushious, beads of gold braided into his beard.  
Yaoto on the other hand was tall, though not as much as Stroyrd, his shoulders considerably less wide as well. His armor was the most intricate, hundreds of small, sparkling plates shining like the scales of an exotic fish. Fitting, really.

'Khai is the most.. traditional, of the Generals. Used to be the high priest of Dols' sacred cathedral. Let's just say he's not too fond of Stroyrd.. Especially not after that whole scorpion-poison thing. He believed it would turn him into a demon of some kind, a curse that would bring nothing but death and destruction. But he was outnumbered by the descision of the other Generals.'

'I see..'

When everyone had settled in, the conference began.

''People of planet Earth,'', the king began, pride and firmness in his voice,  
''We welcome you on our home, and we thank you for answering our call. I am sure the last couple of days have been quite bothersome for your people, but I will make sure that my people will continue to accomodate your forces to the best of their ability.''

''It is highly appreciated, your highness.'', one of earths officials spoke up. Eva had heard of him before, he was none other than the president of earths military. If she recalled it right, he had been in contact with her father during the races on Oban as well..  
''Your hospitality will not go unnoticed. For now, I think our main focus would have to be to put an end to this war, though.''

''Very true.'', the king agreed,  
''I have heard of the victories that have been achieved with the aid of your forces. I believe that if we continue this alliance, we may be able to push back the enemies' forces considerably.''

''According to recent calculations..'', Hodge spoke up,  
''We could be able to eliminate them within the course of one year, sooner if we bring more of our troops here.''

''If the Crogs don't gear up as well..'', Abdras chimed in,  
''They have destroyed entire cities within the course of hours in the past. We should not underestimate them, even with your help.''

''How many more troops are we talking about?'', Aikka himself asked.

''Well..'', the president leaned back slightly,  
''We have settled five troops, worth around 800 armed soldiers each, on this planet so far. We were thinking to double that amount by next month.''  
Eva noticed a slight, almost invisible glare in Stroyrds eyes at the statement. He kept quiet, though.  
'' _If_ you think your forces can accomodate these numbers, that is.''

''I believe that would not be an issue. There should be enough space and resources within our camps.'', the king looked at his Generals,  
''Or what do you say?''

''I have space for about one more of those troops.'', Yaoto agreed. 

Abdras and Anshe whispered to themselves for a few seconds, before Anshe spoke up,  
''If we are given enough time to expand our camps in the inland, there is room for three.''

Hodge began to grin victoriously, though silence fell over the Generals after that. 

''Anyone else?'', the queen asked, finally. Her voice was a lot softer than the kings', less demanding. Evas instinct told her that she be a rather kind leader, though Aikka really had never really spoken of his parents much. 

It took a few more seconds of tension before someone else spoke up.  
Surprisingly, Dirak himself was the one.  
''I can accomodate one more set of them. Not more.''

''I believe we can find an agreement on what to do with the rest when the time is ripe. For now, we can perhaps work with those plans.'', the president decided.

The king nodded, seeming just as pleased by that arrangement.  
''Very well. I am certain our forces will continue being victorious.''

''I have one question, though.'', Stroyrd began.  
''How long will this alliance be kept? Is it just for the course of the war, or are there plans to continue collaborating afterwards?'', there was that certain kind of tone in his voice again. Clearly, he did not think to positively of this whole ordeal, but he stayed calm.

''Why would that concern _you_?'', Khai laughed.

''The wellbeing of this planet is my concern as well as yours, even if I won't be able to experience it myself.''

Hodge raised an eyebrow at the statement.

''Depending on how successful our joined forces turn out to be..'', the king smirked,  
''I am sure we can find some sort of agreement, when the time comes.''

''I'm sure we will.'', the president agreed.

 

The discussion itself went on for several hours, as expected.  
Various tactics and arrangements were layed out, though most of it went more smoothly than thought, other things proved to be more tricky. Farid contributed a lot to those plans as well, his visionary skills were sure to be one of their strongest advantages, even if some things were simply too abstract to be foretold properly. Much to Evas delight, the humans agreed to not incorporate roadwork or other machienery that had proved to be harmful to nature on earth to their work on Nourasia. One of her favourite kinds of technology had been those that use renewable energy either way, and with Nourasias resources, she was sure that whatever would get created down the line would prove to be impressive..

It was afternoon by the time the conference was over, and the people began to dissapear from the room.  
Just when Eva wanted to get up and leave as well, the king turned his attention to her at once.  
''Miss Wei, I believe?'', he asked, even kindly so.  
''My son has told me a lot about you. You are the earth princess that won the ultimate price back then, weren't you?''

Nervously, Eva walked over to him and the queen.  
''Yes, that would be me.. I am no princess though.''  
She tried to laugh, but was still a bit tense. She was glad Aikka had stayed as well, getting up to accompany her as well.

To her surprise, the queen even stood up to meet her, exidedly shaking her hand with an honest smile on her face.  
''Welcome to Nourasia, Miss Wei. I hope it has been nice for you here? I'm hoping my son has been looking after you well..?''

''I'ts been an honor to be here!'', she nodded,  
''And he's been catering to me just fine, I'd say.''  
At that, the prince caught up to her, proudly putting a hand on her shoulder.

''We are very pleased to finally meet you.'', the king shook her hand as well.  
''So please, tell us more about yourself. What was your profession on earth all those years?''

''I studied to become a mechanic for a few years, then I began working. I had a few connections, but I mostly made a name for myself. I've been interested in that kind of work ever since I was a little girl.. I didn't really fly a lot since Oban though.''

''Really? How come?'', The queen asked, her head tilt in confusion.  
''Aikka mentioned you were insanely good at it, if I recall it right..?''

''I dare say I was.. But there was a lot of work to be done, and I didn't have a lot of time... So I mostly kept it as a special treat every now and then. The kind of ship I flew on Oban has been upgraded and redesigned quite a bit since then too. My dad has the blueprints and everything, so I'm right at the source as soon as something new gets developed.''

''I hope you can show us these ships someday. I hear their speed and gunpower was more than impressive, even back in the race.'', the king contemplated, before a slight chuckle added in with his voice,  
''I'm sure if we had some of those, we wouldn't have needed a scorpion rider!'' 

''Thehe, yeah..'', Eva agreed, though it was a rather morbid thought.

''You stayed in his camps for the most time, didn't you? I hope he was nice to you. He's a scary one, isn't he?'', the queen spoke again, seeming amused, rather than completely serious, though.

''He was nice to us.'', Aikka nodded.  
''Trained us as well. I think he's quite alright once you get to know him.''

''True.. Speaking of it,'', Eva raised her eyes to the royal couple,  
''Is he really going to be killed once the war is over?''

''He is, unfortunately.''  
The queen sat back down with a small sigh.  
''If he does not go mad before then.''

''That's... really harsh, isn't it? I'm quite certain it won't sit right with my people. I get that our cultures are different, but where I am from, we even have laws against death sentences and such.'' 

''She is right.'', the prince agreed, supporting her as best he could. He knew that after everything, they owed him to at least _try_.  
''It's true that we have no other choice if he really goes mad. But if he doesn't.. is there really no way for us to pardon him? It just seems unjust, in my opinion.''

There was heavy silence over them for a few seconds.  
Suddenly, a slight grin formed on the kings' face.  
''Well..'', he began,  
''If you chose to have him as your General Advisor, I guess there is a small chance for him to be pardoned, at least temporarily. Of course it is quite some time until that would be needed, but.. The high court may turn a blind eye, with some luck. I cannot promise anything, though.''

''I see.'', the prince nodded, though he didn't look too pleased.

Evas brows furrowed.  
''General Advisor?''

''It's what Canaans job was. To train the royal heir once they reach a certain age.'', the king explained briefly.  
''But enough of that. I'm sure there is a lot you want to see while you are here, Miss Wei, so let's not bore you with these kinds of discussions. There will be some gatherings by the markets near the palace tonight, I bet my son will be eager to show you around.''

''It would be an honor.'', the prince agreed. Perhaps he had forgotten, but as soon as it was mentioned, he seemed a whole lot less stressed.

''Sounds great!'', Eva smiled. With all the stress of the day, some food and drinks seemed to be just the right thing.

''Then don't waste time. I'm sure you will like it!'', the queen proclaimed, not keeping them there any longer.

Quickly, the young couple made their way out of the hall.  
A wave of relief washed over Eva.  
''Man..'', she sighed,  
''I hope I did alright.. Politics and stuff really aren't my forté.''

''You did great, don't worry!'', Aikka pat her shoulder, looking around for a second to check if anyone was around in the hallway, pressing a quick kiss on her cheek when he saw there was no one.  
''I think my mother really likes you. Granted, I may have praised you quite a bit all those years..''

''Of course you did!'', Eva giggled, standing on her tiptoes to steal another hasty kiss, right on the mouth this time.  
''I told dad good things about you too sometimes. But I think he still kinda hates you.''

''Guess I'll just have to prove him wrong once the time comes!'', he took her hand and picked up a faster pace, just out of a feeling.

Laughing like a smitten teenager, Eva did so as well.  
As stressful as it was, things really went.. well, all of a sudden. And they weren't going to let days like this go to waste.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any of this! This fic os done purely for fun!


End file.
